Zelensky Fires Popular Defense Minister Fedorov, Nominates Naftogaz CEO Koretskyi as Prime Minister

A Cabinet Overhaul Widens

Since the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on July 14 with a 258-vote tally, Ukraine's government reshuffle has moved fast. Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk confirmed on July 15 that President Volodymyr Zelensky has formally nominated Sergii Koretskyi, CEO of state energy giant Naftogaz, to become the country's next prime minister, according to Anadolu Ajansı and the Kyiv Independent. A parliamentary vote on the nomination is scheduled for the morning of July 16, per a draft schedule cited by the Kyiv Independent.

The reshuffle isn't stopping at the top. The Financial Times reported late Wednesday that Zelensky has sacked Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, according to ZeroHedge's summary of that reporting. Fedorov, just 35 years old, had held the post only about six months but built a reputation as a reformer credited with driving Ukraine's expanded drone campaign against Russia.

Why Koretskyi

Zelensky's public case for Koretskyi centers on one word: winter. "The priorities are clear, preparing for winter," Zelensky said Wednesday, according to both ZeroHedge and the Kyiv Independent, as Kyiv braces for another season of expected Russian strikes on its energy grid.

David Arakhamia, head of Zelensky's Servant of the People parliamentary faction, met with Koretskyi on July 15 and later described him on Telegram as someone with "extensive experience in both the corporate and public sectors" who "built a strong track record at Ukrnafta and Naftogaz," according to the Kyiv Independent. Arakhamia pointed to the last heating season, when natural gas was reportedly the only energy source that kept flowing reliably to consumers despite Russian strikes on gas production and storage sites.

According to Arakhamia, Koretskyi told the faction his top priorities would be social support for the public, preparing for the coming heating season, strengthening Ukraine's defense forces, and protecting critical infrastructure. Zelensky separately said Ukrainian diplomats "will do everything possible to force Russia to engage in dialogue and secure a ceasefire," per the Kyiv Independent's July 15 reporting.

Svyrydenko, who had served as prime minister since July 2025, confirmed over the past weekend she would step down after Zelensky announced plans to replace the cabinet, according to Anadolu Ajansı. Zelensky said he offered her a role leading "a new and important area of relations with a key partner" without naming it. Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, citing unnamed sources, reported she is being considered for ambassador to the United States.

The Fedorov Controversy

Fedorov wasn't some anonymous bureaucrat. Yaroslav Trofimov, a journalist closely tracking Ukrainian politics, wrote that Ukrainian members of parliament say Zelensky decided to fire the popular defense minister as part of the reshuffle, and that "many Ukrainians (and not just Ukrainians) see this as Zelensky putting petty politics ahead of winning the war," a characterization relayed by ZeroHedge.

Critics are alleging Zelensky removed a competent, popular wartime official for reasons of internal rivalry rather than performance, at the exact moment the war effort needs stability. It's a concern for anyone who has watched Fedorov's public profile grow as the architect of Ukraine's drone-war buildup. Removing him mid-war, six months into the job, is likely to look to many observers like Zelensky consolidating control rather than professionalizing government.

But there's no evidence in the available reporting that this was anything other than a legal, constitutionally structured cabinet transition. Svyrydenko's dismissal followed a parliamentary vote, as required under Ukrainian law, which then triggered the resignation of the entire Cabinet. Fedorov's removal, per the FT reporting relayed by ZeroHedge, came as part of that same broader shake-up that Zelensky had previewed days earlier as an "updated political strategy." No credible allegation of illegality has surfaced in these sources. The dispute is over judgment and timing, not process.

What Happens Next

The Verkhovna Rada is set to vote on Koretskyi's nomination the morning of July 16. If confirmed, he will need to present the composition of a new government, and Ukraine will effectively be entering the coming winter, a season Zelensky himself has flagged as potentially the hardest of the war, under brand-new civilian and defense leadership simultaneously.

The real risk here, regardless of where anyone stands on Zelensky's motives, is straightforward. Ukraine is swapping out its prime minister and its defense minister within days of each other, mid-war, right before the season when Russian strikes on the energy grid have historically intensified. Whether Koretskyi's energy-sector track record translates into wartime governance, and who replaces Fedorov at defense, remain open questions the Rada's vote and Zelensky's next announcements will have to answer.