Ukraine’s Defense Minister gets new deputies: What we know about them
Photo: Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal (Ministry of Defense of Ukraine)
Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal has announced the names of his six deputy ministers. They are Ivan Havryliuk, Serhii Boiev, Anna Hvozdiar, Volodymyr Zaverukha, Yurii Myronenko, and Oksana Ferchuk, according to Shmyhal’s post.
Shmyhal briefly introduced his new deputies and explained their areas of responsibility. Most of them have already held various positions in the Ministry of Defense, while some came from the Ministry of Strategic Industries or the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk is the First Deputy Minister of Defense. He previously served as an advisor to the Commander of the Armed Forces’ Logistics Forces and has already held positions as Deputy and First Deputy Defense Minister. He has extensive experience in building logistics systems.
Serhii Boiev is a Deputy Minister of Defense. He was previously an advisor to the Defense Minister and Deputy Minister of Defense for European integration and served as First Deputy Minister since May 2025. He has significant experience in economics, strategic planning, industry, and security.
Anna Hvozdiar is a Deputy Minister of Defense. She previously served as Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine. She is an expert in defense production, innovation, and scaling the defense-industrial complex.
Colonel Volodymyr Zaverukha is a Deputy Minister of Defense. He has extensive experience in the defense sector, overseeing military-technical policy, weapons development, and military equipment. He previously served as First Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries.
Major Yurii Myronenko is a Deputy Minister of Defense. He has experience managing large holdings and working in drone technologies. He participated in the defense of Kyiv and was the former commander of the UAV unit under the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection. He also served as the head of the State Special Communications Service in 2023–2024. Most recently, he led the Ministry of Defense’s Center for Innovation and Development of Defense Technologies.
Oksana Ferchuk is Deputy Minister of Defense for digital development, transformation, and digitalization. She is a former advisor to the Defense Minister and has worked in digitalization. She coordinated the implementation of the Armed Forces Medical Information System within the Medical Forces Command. Before the war, she was a top manager at leading Ukrainian companies.
On July 21, the Cabinet of Ministers merged the Ministry of Strategic Industries with the Ministry of Defense. This move is intended to create a unified defense management structure and strengthen coordination and interaction among all its components.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced the new Minister of Defense, Denys Shmyhal, and outlined the key priorities for the ministry’s work.
Last week, the Verkhovna Rada appointed former Prime Minister Shmyhal as Minister of Defense — 267 lawmakers voted in favor of his candidacy.
