Ukraine’s defence, digital ministers resign amid political reshuffle

Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal and First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov submitted their resignations to the Ukrainian parliament on January 9 as part of a broader political reshuffle, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk confirmed.

Fedorov is expected to replace Shmyhal as defence minister, while Shmyhal could assume the role of Energy Minister, a post left vacant for two months following a major corruption scandal, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also proposed Shmyhal for the position of First Deputy Prime Minister. Ukraine’s parliament is set to vote on the resignations and new appointments next week.

The reshuffle, which began in early January, follows Zelenskyy’s dismissal of his long-time aide Andriy Yermak last month, a figure who had amassed significant influence within the government. In parallel, Zelenskyy reorganized Ukraine’s special services, appointing Kyrylo Budanov, head of military intelligence, as the new head of the President’s Office, and removing Vasyl Maliuk from his post as head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).

The changes come amid ongoing peace talks with Washington and Russia’s continued military offensive, which includes attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Both Shmyhal and Fedorov are considered long-standing allies of Zelenskyy. Shmyhal led the Defence Ministry for less than six months after his appointment in July. A technocrat loyal to the president, he previously served as Ukraine’s longest-serving prime minister from 2020 to 2025 and held a senior position at DTEK, the country’s largest private energy firm owned by billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, from 2017 to 2019.

Under Fedorov, the Digital Transformation Ministry spearheaded multiple initiatives, including drone production, and launched Brave1, a project connecting his ministry with the Defence Ministry to advance military technology.

Commenting on the situation, Zelenskyy said:

“Ukraine is fully committed to diplomacy and seeks to end this war as soon as possible. But Russia is not demonstrating a similar approach and prolongs its aggression. We will counter this through greater technological capacity and the transformation of the defence sector.”

By Vafa Guliyeva