The Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Wednesday to dismiss Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as part of a broader government reshuffle aimed at bolstering wartime economic and military leadership.
The move effectively dissolves the cabinet, and lawmakers are expected to approve new members on Thursday.
First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, tapped by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week, is the only candidate to chair the new government.
Shmyhal Resigns
Shmyhal announced on Tuesday that he had submitted his resignation, ahead of the country’s largest wartime cabinet reshuffle expected this week.
President Zelenskyy on Monday nominated First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to replace Shmyhal. Svyrydenko, who is also the economy minister, is a close and long-standing ally of Zelenskyy.
Shmyhal, who has been in his post since March 2020, is expected to be appointed as Ukraine’s new defence minister, Zelenskyy said on Monday.
The shakeup, the biggest since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, comes as the Russian forces continue their grinding advance in Ukraine’s east, and prospects for any fast ceasefire deal look dim.
Ukraine’s economy is still smaller than before the war, despite local businesses adapting to the wartime reality and billions in foreign aid from Kyiv’s Western allies to help maintain macroeconomic stability.
Next year, the country is facing a tough task of financing its ballooning budget deficit as foreign aid is set to diminish. Ukrainian officials have said the country would need about $40 billion in external financing in 2026.
Russia Intensifies Strikes
Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine, launching a wave of missile and drone strikes across key cities including Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, and Odesa.
The latest assault targeted energy infrastructure and injured at least 15 civilians, according to Ukrainian officials.
The escalation comes amid renewed Russian offensives in the northeast and Donetsk regions, where heavy fighting continues.
(With inputs from Reuters and IBNS)
