The Verkhovna Rada supported the appointment of Yevheniy Khmara to the position of Minister of Defense.
This decision was made at todayʼs parliamentary session.
312 MPs voted for it. Two were against, and another 20 did not vote.
Speaking in the Rada, Khmara said that he had already resigned from military service and was a civilian. He resigned under Article 26 of the Law on Military Service. After the decision of the Verkhovna Rada, Khmara was sworn in as the new Minister of Defense.
Yevheniy Khmara has served in the Special Operations Center "A" of SBU since 2011, and in 2023 he headed this unit.
At the beginning of the full-scale operation, Khmara participated in the battles for the liberation of the Kyiv region. After the de-occupation of the northern regions, he continued to fight against Russian troops in the Donetsk direction. He also personally led the operation to liberate the Snake Island.
At the beginning of the year, Yevheniy Khmara became the acting head of SBU after the resignation of Vasyl Malyuk.
Personnel changes
Following the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on July 15, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov reported his resignation. This sparked a wave of protests in various cities in Ukraine. Protesters also demanded the removal of Oleksandr Syrsky.
The next day, July 16, 289 MPs voted to appoint Serhiy Koretsky as Prime Minister of Ukraine. On the same day, the Rada voted to appoint ministers to the new government — Zelensky did not submit nominations for the positions of Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
On July 20, former acting head of SBU Yevheniy Khmara officially became acting Minister of Defense. Khmara was also appointed Deputy Minister of Defense. On July 22, Zelensky signed a decree dismissing Oleksandr Syrsky from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In his place, Mykhailo Drapatyi was appointed by another decree.
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