Merger of ministries and new appointments: Exclusive details on new Cabinet
Photo: Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine (kmu.gov.ua)
The reshuffle of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is expected as early as this week. On July 17, a new government lineup is likely to be formed, with fewer ministries.
RBC-Ukraine has learned the details of how the Cabinet renewal is being planned.
Ministry of Social Policy
As of the evening of July 14, it is known that Oksana Zholnovych will be dismissed from her position as head of the Ministry of Social Policy. In addition, there are plans to merge the ministry with the Ministry for Veterans Affairs, and Denys Uliutin is expected to be appointed as the new minister in place of Zholnovych.
Ministry of Reintegration
Oleksii Chernyshov is also stepping down as minister, and the ministry is set to be dissolved.
Ministry of Culture
The dismissal of Mykola Tochytskyi is also planned, and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, which he currently leads, will be renamed simply the Ministry of Culture. Strategic communications will be handled by a different department.
Ministry of Defense
The Ministry of Defense is expected to be headed by the current Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, and it will be merged with the Ministry of Strategic Industries.
Ministry of Economy
A merger of three ministries is planned — the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, and the Ministry of Ecology. The new ministry will be headed by Oleksii Soboliev (currently deputy to the first vice prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko).
Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education remains unchanged for now, with Oksen Lisovyi staying in his position.
It should be noted that RBC-Ukraine sources do not rule out the possibility of changes before the final votes.
Reshuffle in the Cabinet
Earlier, we reported that a major reshuffle in the Cabinet of Ministers is planned to take place over two days, likely this week.
Yesterday, July 13, RBC-Ukraine sources reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided to appoint First Vice Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko as Prime Minister.
At the same time, according to interlocutors, the current head of the Cabinet, Denys Shmyhal, will become the Minister of Defense.
Already today, July 14, Zelenskyy announced that he has offered Svyrydenko the position of Prime Minister.
Svyrydenko, in turn, emphasized her readiness to serve the country at one of the most important moments in its history.
According to her, Zelenskyy outlined three key tasks for the renewed Cabinet of Ministers:
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strengthening economic potential;
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expanding citizen support programs;
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scaling up domestic weapons production.
Special attention, Svyrydenko said, will be focused on ensuring the Defense Forces and security, as well as strengthening the state's resilience.
At the same time, last week, the head of state suggested that the new Ukrainian ambassador to the United States could be Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
