Zelenskyy's third government: who will lose their posts and who may become ministers

Iryna Balachuk, Ukrainska Pravda - 16 July, 10:52

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and future Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

On 16 July, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) is set to dismiss Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and his entire Cabinet. The following day, MPs plan to appoint Yuliia Svyrydenko as the new prime minister and vote in a number of new ministers.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda article

Quote: "The new prime minister enters the Cabinet in a much stronger position than Denys Shmyhal ever had. Like her predecessors, Svyrydenko will have her own cabinet minister. It is likely to be Kostiantyn Marievych, current Deputy State Secretary of the Cabinet. But while that was the only close ally Denys Shmyhal had in government, for Yuliia Svyrydenko, it is just the beginning."

Details: Ukrainska Pravda has learned that under Svyrydenko, three ministries – Economy, Environment and Agrarian Policy – will be merged into a single resource ministry to be headed by Oleksii Soboliev, currently Svyrydenko’s first deputy.

Svyrydenko may also strengthen her influence by appointing her current deputy Taras Kachka as deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, replacing Olha Stefanishyna.

Stefanishyna is losing her position due to criminal cases and scandals. Zelenskyy reportedly plans to appoint Stefanishyna as Ukraine's ambassador to the European Union.

Mykhailo Fedorov, current Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation and Minister of Digital Transformation, is expected to be appointed as the new government's first deputy prime minister.

Current Prime Minister Shmyhal is set to become the new minister of defence. The current Defence Minister, Rustem Umierov, is expected to be appointed as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States. Several members of Zelenskyy's team told Ukrainska Pravda, "If Umierov has any real strength, it’s in negotiations."

Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy, is to be dismissed over cuts to pensions and social benefits. Her replacement has yet to be determined.

Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science, is expected to resign due to his decision to close small rural schools and consolidate universities. His likely replacement is his deputy, Andrii Vitrenko.

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, who is close to Tymur Mindich, Zelenskyy's associate and co-founder of his production company Studio Kvartal 95, is also expected to step down. He may be replaced by current Environment Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, whom Ukrainska Pravda sources in the government and parliament describe as an affiliate of Halushchenko. Her only relevant experience is one year serving as his deputy for international affairs.

National Unity Minister Oleksii Chernyshov, who is under investigation for allegedly receiving over UAH 14.5 million (approx. US$344,000) in illicit benefits, will not only lose his job, but his entire ministry will be abolished.

Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, will return to the diplomatic service: Zelenskyy plans to appoint him as Ukraine’s permanent representative to the Council of Europe. Strategic communications and information policy will be hived off from the Culture Ministry and handed over to a subordinate agency.

The shortlist for Culture Minister includes two cultural figures: Veronika Seleha, former head of the Directorate for Humanitarian Policy in the President’s Office and CEO of creative agency Bickerstaff.345, and Olha Viieru, director of the national cultural centre Ukrainian House.

Among those remaining in government are Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities and Territories; Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha; Nataliia Kalmykova, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs; and Matvii Bidnyi, Minister for Youth and Sports. All were appointed in September 2024.

Some Cabinet "old-timers" will also be staying on: Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko, Health Minister Viktor Liashko, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Background:

On 14 July 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he had proposed Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister, to head the new government.
That same day, Zelenskyy stated that current Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal would become the defence minister in the reshuffled Cabinet.
Shmyhal submitted a letter of resignation to the Verkhovna Rada on 15 July. Under Ukrainian law, the prime minister's resignation entails the resignation of the entire Cabinet.
Ukraine’s parliament is set to vote on the resignation on 16 July, with votes on the new prime minister and ministers scheduled for 17 July.

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