Igor Klymenko, the expected new head of the Ministry of Defense
Ukrainian parliament member Vasylevska-Smahliuk announced that the ruling party’s faction meeting will take place following the main vote on the new government structure. The appointments for the ministers of foreign affairs and defense are presented by the president and voted on separately.
According to sources from RBK-Ukraine, this meeting is scheduled during a break in the parliament’s session today. They noted that the appointment of Igor Klymenko as the new defense minister may be postponed.
Context
- On July 15, Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed via Telegram that he would step down as Ukraine’s defense minister. Reports indicate that Igor Klymenko, who previously led the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is likely to take his place. Politician Yaroslav Zheleznyak mentioned that the president had indicated Fedorov would remain involved in a different capacity.
- Speculation over Fedorov’s replacement arose due to potential conflict with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Zheleznyak suggested that President Volodymyr Zelensky believes Klymenko is uniquely positioned to implement necessary reforms.
- Demonstrations in support of Fedorov occurred on July 16 in Kyiv and various major cities across Ukraine.
