Denys Shmyhal became First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy

MPs of the Verkhovna Rada voted to appoint Denys Shmyhal as Minister of Energy of Ukraine and First Deputy Prime Minister.

This became known from the broadcast of the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada on January 14.

This decision was supported by 248 MPs, two voted against.

During his speech in parliament before the vote, Shmyhal emphasized that restoring Ukraineʼs energy sector is the most important thing. Decisions on this should be made at an accelerated pace.

"The priority remains support for the energy sector, additional payments, and protection in frontline areas. Resilience is the second priority, no less practical. Attention will be increased to the necessary engineering solutions for protection, and special attention will be paid to the centralization of the energy system. Modernization is the third priority. We need rapid integration into the European space," Shmyhal said.

He added that the Ministry of Energy, despite the crisis situation in Ukraineʼs energy sector today, can ensure a fair distribution of energy resources and influence the protection of energy facilities and the development of energy generation.

When asked by peopleʼs deputies about the critical energy situation in large cities after Russian shelling, the new Minister of Energy stated that, unlike Kharkiv, Kyiv was not prepared for the challenges of the heating season in wartime.

"Therefore, we will have to take crisis measures now. We are ready for this," he added.

• On January 13, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Shmyhal from the position of Minister of Defense, which he had held since July 2025. But they were unable to appoint him to the position of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy on the same day.
• The previous head of the Ministry of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk was dismissed in November 2025. She and her predecessor, Herman Halushchenko, are involved in the NABU investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
• Denys Shmyhal was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2020 to 2025. Prior to that, he held the positions of Head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration (from 2019 to 2020) and Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Community and Territorial Development in 2020.

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