Ukrainian lawmakers were getting ready to vote on another government this week after the president dismissed his prime minister in a move he said would bring fresh thinking, but critics warned could stoke disorder at a key point in the war.
In a shock announcement, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he would replace Yulia Svyrydenko after she had only served a year in office, prompting speculation over who would get the top job at a time when Kyiv is facing intensified attacks.
Lawmakers said on social media that likely contenders to replace Svyrydenko include Serhiy Koretskyi, head of state oil and gas firm Naftogaz; Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, who was previously defence minister for six months; and current Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
CRISIS MANAGERS SEEN AS CANDIDATES
Zelenskiy posted images of meetings with each after announcing Svyrydenko’s dismissal. Under the Ukrainian system, he will propose a prime minister who selects most other cabinet members. All must be approved by parliament.
The president said on Sunday he was seeking “renewal” at the top of government and law enforcement agencies to strengthen Kyiv’s quest for more air defences from allies, bolster its bid for EU membership, and prepare for Russian attacks on the power grid this winter.
Appointing Naftogaz chief Koretskyi — seen by many as the top candidate — would place a respected technocrat atop a government that will be increasingly focused on shoring up energy security after Russian strikes on infrastructure that regularly plunge towns and cities into cold and darkness.
Kyiv-based political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said other similarly experienced crisis managers could get cabinet posts in the reshuffle, such as Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, whose city is frequently hit by Russian attacks.
Defence Minister Fedorov was another strong candidate, already at the heart of Ukraine’s war effort.
But Fesenko, from the Penta Centre think tank, said that taking away Fedorov’s defence portfolio could hurt critical army reforms when Kyiv is fighting for the upper hand in its war with Moscow — a concern echoed by some opposition lawmakers.
Ukraine is waging a long-range strike campaign that is hurting Moscow’s oil sector and its battlefield logistics.
Fedorov, who has overseen the military’s technological evolution since his appointment in January, has also pledged to overhaul recruitment to address Ukraine’s manpower shortage.
Opposition lawmaker Inna Sovsun of the Holos party said she was “very frightened” at the potential of fresh instability in the defence ministry.
“Previously, Denys Shmyhal was the minister for half a year, he promised something, started to fulfill it and was fired,” she said on Facebook. “If the same story repeats itself with Mykhailo Fedorov, it will not be funny at all.”