Yevhen Khmara will serve as acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine
Yevhen Khmara has temporarily taken charge of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that, once the legal procedures have been completed, he will submit a proposal to the Verkhovna Rada regarding his appointment.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced that Yevhen Khmara, acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine, will temporarily serve as Ukraine’s Minister of Defence.
According to the Head of State, this decision was taken following discussions with Yevhen Khmara on the conduct of long-range operations against Russia, ensuring that security units and the Ukrainian Defence Forces are provided with the necessary resources, and on future directions for the development of the defence sector.
The President noted that Yevhen Khmara has gained significant experience in conducting high-tech strike operations and possesses a strategic vision for the development of defence. He particularly highlighted Khmara’s experience in managing personnel at the Security Service of Ukraine’s ‘Alpha’ Special Operations Centre and stated that this experience would be an asset in his new role.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stated that he had instructed Yevhen Khmara to act as Minister, to continue reforming the defence sector and to ensure that the agreed objectives are achieved.
“I have instructed Yevhen Khmara to act as Minister, to continue reforming the defence sector and to ensure that Ukraine achieves all the results we have discussed. Once the necessary legal procedures have been completed, I will appeal to parliamentarians for their support for Yevhen Khmara’s appointment as Minister of Defence of Ukraine,” the President said.
Yevhen Khmara has been acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine since January 2026. On 14 July, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed the Cabinet of Ministers, after which the President did not submit the nomination of a new Minister of Defence to parliament.
