President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has submitted Yevheniy Khmara’s candidacy to the Verkhovna Rada for appointment as defence minister.
Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said Parliament would consider the nomination shortly in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine and the established parliamentary procedure. MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on his Telegram channel that the vote would take place tomorrow.
Khmara was officially appointed acting defence minister on 20 July. The president had announced on 16 July that he would take up the post.
For Khmara to be formally appointed, he had to be discharged from military service. Under Ukrainian law, only a civilian can serve as defence minister.
Following the Cabinet reshuffle initiated by the president in July, the Defence and Foreign Ministries were left without permanent heads. Both positions are part of the president’s quota. Zelenskyy did not submit candidates before Parliament went into a nearly month-long recess.
The sudden dismissal of former minister Mykhaylo Fedorov sparked protests in several Ukrainian cities. Zelenskyy said he had offered Fedorov several positions, including deputy prime minister for military innovation. However, the former minister said he would accept only the defence minister position, arguing that he would not be able to effectively fight corruption in other roles.
Earlier this month, Fedorov said he had not received a clear “no” from the president regarding his possible reappointment. He said he would wait until 17–18 August, when MPs returned to work, before deciding on his next steps.
Yevheniy Khmara: biography
Since spring 2023, Yevheniy Khmara had headed the SBU’s Centre for Special Operations for Counter-Terrorism, Protection of Participants in Criminal Proceedings and Law Enforcement Officers. That same year, he was promoted to brigadier general, and in 2024 became a major general. He commanded the special operation to liberate Snake Island.
Since August 2025, he had headed the SBU’s Special Operations Centre “A”, one of the agency’s most effective units in striking Russian forces.
On 5 January, he became acting head of the SBU.
Khmara was awarded the Order of Danylo Halytskyi on 21 March 2019 for his personal contribution to strengthening national security, courage, high professionalism and exemplary performance of his duties.