A wartime cabinet reshuffle that ousted a popular reformist minister has ended with an intelligence chief installed atop Ukraine’s defense ministry, a move lawmakers say may already conflict with the law requiring the post go to a civilian.
Table of Contents
- The Appointment
- The Reshuffle That Triggered Protests
- Who Is Yevhen Khmara
- The Legal Question: A Soldier in a Civilian Post
- The SBU Succession and Poklad’s Controversial Record
- Timeline of a Government in Flux
- Strategic Rationale: Betting on Long-Range Strikes
- Public Reaction: Protests Continue in Kyiv
- Law and Legal Implications
- Investigation: What Remains Unresolved
The Appointment
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 16, 2026 that he had instructed Yevhen Khmara, then acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), to serve as acting defense minister. Zelensky said Khmara would continue reforming the defense sector and deliver results the two had discussed, and confirmed he would formally ask the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, to approve Khmara’s permanent appointment once the required legal procedures were completed.
The Cabinet of Ministers separately confirmed the appointment, stating that, in agreement with the president, the government had installed Khmara as acting minister of defense and Andrii Sybiha as acting minister of foreign affairs, filling two posts that had remained vacant after parliament approved the rest of the new cabinet.
The Reshuffle That Triggered Protests
Khmara’s appointment followed the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov days earlier, a decision that triggered protests outside the Office of the President in Kyiv and demonstrations in other Ukrainian cities. Fedorov had reportedly called for Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi to be replaced, a request Zelensky did not agree to, and said the ministry’s proposals to improve battlefield operations had repeatedly met resistance from military command.
Zelensky acknowledged the demonstrations directly, saying it was right that Ukrainian citizens could take to the streets in peaceful protest even during wartime and expressing that he had not yet decided how to fully respond to the public pressure to reinstate Fedorov.
Who Is Yevhen Khmara
Khmara is a major general who built his career in intelligence and counterterrorism rather than conventional command, most notably leading the SBU’s Alpha Special Operations Center, which has played a central role in Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign against Russia. He is also credited with leading the operation to liberate Snake Island. Zelensky appointed him acting head of the SBU in January 2026 after predecessor Vasyl Maliuk stepped down to focus on operations against Russia, and by his own account he has largely stayed out of the public eye until now.
Zelensky described Khmara as having gained extensive and, in many respects, unprecedented experience in technology-driven strike operations, calling that focus exactly where Ukraine’s defense strategy should be heading.
The Legal Question: A Soldier in a Civilian Post
Several Ukrainian lawmakers have publicly questioned whether Khmara’s appointment complies with the law, noting that Ukrainian legislation requires the defense minister and deputy defense ministers to be civilians rather than serving military officers. Khmara holds an active rank of major general, a status that on its face appears to conflict with the civilian control requirement written into Ukraine’s defense governance framework.
The SBU Succession and Poklad’s Controversial Record
Khmara’s move to the defense ministry set off a secondary succession inside the SBU. His first deputy, Oleksandr Poklad, is expected to become acting head of the security service in his place. Poklad carries a contested reputation of his own: the Anti-Corruption Action Center and other civil society activists have accused him of fabricating politically motivated cases and leading the 2025 pressure campaign against Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau, known as NABU.
Timeline of a Government in Flux
The reshuffle unfolded rapidly over roughly two weeks in July 2026. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko resigned, clearing the way for a new government under former Naftogaz chief executive Serhiy Koretsky. Parliament approved most of the new cabinet, but the defense and foreign minister posts stayed vacant because Ukrainian law requires the president to nominate those roles separately. Fedorov’s dismissal as defense minister followed on July 15, and Khmara’s appointment as his acting replacement came the next day. The restructuring also revived the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and created a new Ministry for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons.
Strategic Rationale: Betting on Long-Range Strikes
Zelensky framed Khmara’s appointment explicitly around a strategic bet on long-range strike capability, saying the two had discussed expanding operations against Russia and ensuring Ukraine’s security agencies and defense forces receive the equipment they need. The president has described a broader strategic vision built around forcing Russia toward diplomacy through sustained pressure on its territory, a goal that places Khmara’s specific expertise in strike operations at the center of Ukraine’s next phase of the war rather than at its periphery.
Public Reaction: Protests Continue in Kyiv
Demonstrations in support of Fedorov continued for a second consecutive day following his dismissal, with protesters near the presidential office in Kyiv and in other cities calling for his reinstatement. The persistence of the protests into the days following Khmara’s appointment suggests the public anger was directed as much at the manner and reasoning behind Fedorov’s removal as at any specific concern about his successor.
Law and Legal Implications
Ukrainian law governing the Ministry of Defense requires its minister and deputy ministers to hold civilian status, a provision designed to preserve civilian oversight of the armed forces even amid active war. Khmara’s status as a serving major general creates an apparent legal tension that has already been raised by lawmakers, though Ukraine’s wartime governance structure and precedent for acting appointments may complicate any formal challenge before parliament votes on his permanent nomination.
Separately, Poklad’s expected elevation to acting SBU chief carries its own legal and institutional stakes, given unresolved public allegations tying him to fabricated prosecutions and to pressure campaigns against Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure, an infrastructure whose independence is itself tied to conditions attached to Ukraine’s Western financial and military support.
Investigation: What Remains Unresolved
It is not yet clear whether the Verkhovna Rada will confirm Khmara’s permanent nomination, or whether the civilian status objection raised by lawmakers will be formally litigated before that vote occurs. The full scope of Fedorov’s disagreement with Commander in Chief Syrskyi, and whether it reflected a broader rift over battlefield strategy, has not been independently detailed beyond Fedorov’s own account. Poklad’s prior conduct at the SBU and NABU has not been resolved through any formal investigation or judicial finding, leaving his fitness for the security service’s top post an open question as he assumes it. Forensic Times continues to monitor the parliamentary confirmation process and the ongoing Kyiv protests.
ForensicTimes · forensictimes.com · Global Investigative Journalism on Crime, Justice, and Forensic Science · This report reflects verified open-source and wire reporting current as of publication. © 2026 ForensicTimes. All Rights Reserved.
