Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced a sweeping reshuffle of his government, proposing to replace Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko less than a year after she took office.
Zelensky said on July 12 that Ukraine was “changing its political strategy” and that delivering it would require a renewal of the Cabinet of Ministers. He did not name a successor.
He thanked Svyrydenko for her work in a post on X and said he had offered her a new role leading relations with a key partner, which he did not identify.
Opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said on Telegram she was likely to become Kyiv’s ambassador to Washington.
Svyrydenko, an economist who became prime minister in July 2025, confirmed she would step down and said she was ready to keep serving Ukraine.
Under Ukrainian law, the prime minister’s departure triggers the resignation of the entire government and must be approved by parliament. Zelensky’s Servant of the People party was due to meet on July 14 to discuss the changes.
The President, who has governed under martial law since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has periodically overhauled his administration to project fresh momentum. It would be the fourth major reorganisation since the war began.
He said the new strategy would prioritise licensed production of US-designed Patriot air defence systems, Ukraine’s bid for European Union membership and closer ties with the Gulf region.
Zelensky also proposed changes among the heads of law enforcement agencies, without elaborating.
Lawmakers named several possible successors, including Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, who was prime minister from 2020 to 2025, Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Naftogaz chief Serhiy Koretskyi. Zhelezniak said Koretskyi had the strongest chance of nomination.
The reshuffle came against the backdrop of the largest corruption scandal of Zelensky’s presidency. Investigators allege a €92 million kickback scheme at the state nuclear firm Energoatom involving figures close to the President.
The so-called Midas case has already forced out his influential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and named his former business partner Timur Mindich as a suspect.
The changes came at a pivotal moment in the more than four-year war, with Moscow escalating ballistic missile strikes and Kyiv striking Russian oil facilities.
