MOSCOW, July 14. /TASS/. Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada voted by a majority to dismiss Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko. The parliamentary session was broadcast live by the Rada TV channel.
Under Ukrainian law, the prime minister's resignation automatically results in the resignation of the entire government.
TASS has compiled the key facts.
PM's resignation
- Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada voted by a majority to dismiss Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko.
- A total of 258 lawmakers voted in favor, exceeding the required 226 votes. Five abstained and one voted against.
- Sviridenko, who had served as prime minister since July 17, 2025, submitted her resignation to parliament the previous day.
- During a parliamentary committee meeting on July 13, she indicated that her resignation was initiated by Vladimir Zelensky rather than by her own decision.
- Zelensky announced the planned government reshuffle on July 12.
Government resignation
- Under Ukrainian law, the resignation of the prime minister automatically triggers the resignation of the entire cabinet.
- Cabinet members will remain in office in a caretaker capacity until a new government is appointed.
- Parliament is expected to appoint new ministers on July 16.
- Ukrainian ministers learned of their impending dismissal from a Telegram post by Vladimir Zelensky and still do not know who will retain their positions in the new cabinet, according to ruling Servant of the People party lawmaker Olga Vasilevskaya-Smaglyuk.
- Lawmakers, including members of the Servant of the People party, expressed frustration during the parliamentary session that the government's dismissal had not been coordinated with them before the vote.
Sviridenko's future
- Lawmakers have offered differing views on Sviridenko's next role.
- Yaroslav Zheleznyak previously said she would become Ukraine's ambassador to the United States.
- However, Olga Vasilevskaya-Smaglyuk later said Sviridenko had not yet made a final decision and was not certain she would take up the ambassadorial post.
- According to Vasilevskaya-Smaglyuk, Sviridenko will become head of Vladimir Zelensky's office, while Kirill Budanov, who is listed by Russia as a terrorist and extremist, will replace Mikhail Fedorov as defense minister.
- Earlier, Suspilne News, citing sources, reported that Sviridenko had declined the post of Ukraine's ambassador to the United States.
- According to Zheleznyak, Sviridenko viewed her dismissal as an unwelcome development and hopes to discuss her future with Zelensky.
Expected appointments
- Interior Minister Igor Klimenko will become defense minister, replacing Mikhail Fedorov, according to Vasilevskaya-Smaglyuk.
- She also said National Police chief Ivan Vyhovsky is being considered to succeed Klimenko as interior minister, while Ivan Fedorov is expected to become deputy prime minister.
- According to Zheleznyak, Naftogaz CEO Sergey Koretsky, regarded as the leading candidate, along with the foreign and defense ministers, will be appointed on July 16.
- The Strana news outlet also suggested that Klimenko could become defense minister.
- The news outlet said the biggest uncertainty concerns the future of Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov.
- Government sources cited by Strana said no decision has yet been made regarding Fedorov.
- According to those sources, Fedorov could either remain defense minister or become a deputy prime minister without portfolio.
NABU investigation
- Increased scrutiny by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) of Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishina, was one of the reasons behind the government reshuffle initiated by Vladimir Zelensky, RBC-Ukraine reported.
- Sources cited by the news outlet said the reshuffle was prompted by mounting pressure on Stefanishina due to NABU's investigation and the need to appoint a strong ambassador to Washington.
- According to those sources, Sviridenko is considered the most suitable candidate, while her resignation as prime minister automatically triggers the resignation of the government.
- Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Alexey Goncharenko, who is listed by Russia as a terrorist and extremist, said Stefanishina had recently returned to Kiev and NABU could soon bring charges against her.
- Stefanishina has long been a defendant in a corruption case investigated by NABU.
- The case concerns the review of Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU requirements and is currently before a court.
Reshuffle reasons: opinions
- Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov said on Telegram that the government reshuffle is taking place under US influence, with Washington seeking to use the premiership to identify a future replacement for Zelensky.
- Former Ukrainian Security Service officer Vasily Prozorov told TASS that Sviridenko is leaving office because she no longer satisfies Ukraine's Western backers.
- Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told TASS that the decision to replace the government was made under external pressure because Sviridenko is seen as close to former presidential office chief Andrey Yermak, who has been linked to a corruption scandal.
- Miroshnik also described the reshuffle as a new stage in the redistribution of control over foreign aid flows.
- Retired Ukrainian special forces officer Igor Lapin said on Kiev24 that Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov could be removed because of his conflict with Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky, his high approval ratings, or his interference in existing procurement-related corruption schemes.
- Lapin added that if Klimenko becomes defense minister, the ministry's work will focus primarily on mobilization.
- Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Dmitry Razumkov said Zelensky may have dismissed Sviridenko out of concern that she could become a political rival.
- Ukrainskaya Pravda wrote that the main reason for the early government reshuffle was that Zelensky's office had abandoned plans to hold elections this autumn, while Ukraine now faces preparations for what could be its toughest winter in recent years.
- RBC-Ukraine also cited the approaching winter, which Kiev expects to be more difficult than the previous one because of severe damage to the country's energy infrastructure, as one of the reasons behind the reshuffle.