Former PM Shmyhal takes over Ukraine’s Defense Ministry
Photo: Denys Shmyhal has been appointed Minister of Defense of Ukraine (kmu.gov.ua)
The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament - ed.) appointed former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as Ukraine’s Minister of Defense. His candidacy for the position was proposed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
More details about Shmyhal’s appointment as the new head of the Defense Ministry can be found in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
Denys Shmyhal is the Minister of Defense
On July 17, the Parliament supported Denys Shmyhal’s appointment as Minister of Defense. The decision was supported by 267 deputies.
According to procedure, the Verkhovna Rada appoints the head of the Defense Ministry based on the president’s nomination.
On the evening of July 16, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he had submitted all the necessary documents to parliament.
This nomination came amid a government reshuffle and after the dismissal of Denys Shmyhal from the post of Prime Minister.
Zelenskyy had previously stated that he wanted Shmyhal to become the defense minister because of his extensive experience, which would be valuable in the defense sector.
One of the President’s priority tasks for the new defense chief is to increase the share of domestically produced weapons. Currently, according to him, about 40% of the weapons used at the front are Ukrainian-made, and this figure should be raised to 50% within the first six months of the new government’s work.
Additionally, Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the renewed Defense Ministry will oversee strategic industries, and the head of the Ministry of Strategic Industry, Herman Smetanin, will return as head of Ukroboronprom.
What is known about Denys Shmyhal
Denys Shmyhal is 50 years old and was born in Lviv. He graduated from Lviv Polytechnic University with a degree in Management in Production and earned a Candidate of Economic Sciences degree (equivalent to a PhD - ed.).
He began his career in the 1990s, holding financial and managerial positions in business. Later, he worked in the Lviv Regional State Administration and in the tax service.
From 2015 to 2017, he held top positions in large companies, including Lvivkholod, DTEK Zakhidenergo, and the Burshtyn Thermal Power Plant.
In August 2019, he was appointed head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration. Less than a year later, he joined the government as Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine. On March 4, 2020, he became the Prime Minister.
Shmyhal served as Prime Minister for more than five years, longer than any of his predecessors. His term coincided with challenging times: first the COVID-19 pandemic, and later Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On July 16, 2025, Denys Shmyhal resigned as head of the Cabinet of Ministers as part of a major government reshuffle.
