Ukraine appoints Denys Shmyhal as first deputy PM, energy minister PHOTO

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has appointed Denys Shmyhal as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, the parliament’s press service confirmed on January 14.

The appointment was approved by 248 members of parliament during a plenary session, Caliber.Az reports.

Shmyhal had previously served as Ukraine’s Minister of Defence from July 17, 2025, until his dismissal on January 13, when the parliament relieved him of his duties in that role.

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed Mykhailo Fedorov, 34, as the country’s Minister of Defence. The decision was approved by 277 MPs and received backing from all parliamentary factions.

Fedorov, who previously served as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, becomes Ukraine’s fourth defence minister since the start of the full-scale war.

He said he would pursue reforms to modernise and strengthen the Ukrainian armed forces.

By Aghakazim Guliyev