Zelenskiy sacks Ukrainian PM after one year in office
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he plans to replace Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko after only a year in office, triggering the resignation of the government.
Zelenskiy did not specify who he would ask to lead the government or what Svyrydenko’s new position would be but added that there would also be changes among the heads of law enforcement agencies.
He said the changes were needed to “ensure the implementation of an updated political strategy,” but gave no further details.
“I am grateful to Yulia for her clear, steady, and effective work as prime minister, for her years of productive service on Ukraine’s team, and I have offered her the opportunity to lead a new and important area of relations with a key partner,” Zelenskiy said on X.
“I expect that, together with MPs, we will make the corresponding changes in the government of Ukraine.”
Svyrydenko, an economist, was appointed in July 2025 after a year as deputy head of Zelenskiy’s office and then four years as deputy prime minister responsible for economic development and trade.
Zelenskiy also did not explain the reasons for the proposed changes among law enforcement leaders.
Over the past year, Ukraine has been shaken by its largest corruption scandal, which led to the resignation of the influential head of the presidential administration.
The so-called Midas case, which authorities say involved a $US100 million ($A144 million) kickback scheme at the state nuclear power company Energoatom, has engulfed figures close to Zelenskiy and cast a shadow over the government at a time when Ukraine wants to show its allies that it can tackle high-level corruption.
Authorities have accused Timur Mindich, Zelenskiy’s former business partner, of leading the kickback scheme and also named Zelenskiy’s former chief of staff Andriy Yermak as a suspect.
Both have denied wrongdoing.
Under Ukrainian law, the prime minister’s resignation needs the approval of parliament and entails the resignation of the entire government.
MPs say possible successors include Svyrydenko’s predecessor, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal; Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov; and Serhiy Koretskyi, head of the state energy company Naftogaz.
Well informed opposition MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak said Koretskyi had the strongest chance of being nominated as the new head of government, and that Svyrydenko was likely to take up the post of ambassador to the United States.
Olga Stefanishyna, who was appointed last August, is currently the ambassador to the US.
Russian officials said on Sunday at least seven people were killed in a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Four more residents were injured in the attack on the city in southeastern Ukraine, Alexey Likhachev, head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, and Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-installed governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said.
It was not possible to independently verify the claims.
Likhachev accused European politicians and organisations of “simply ignoring” the attacks on Enerhodar, saying at least 11 people have been killed in Ukrainian attacks on the city since late April.
Enerhodar, which had a pre-war population of about 53,000, is situated near the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is the largest employer in the city.
with DPA
Reuters