Photo: t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has submitted Yevhenii Khmara’s candidacy to parliament for appointment as Ukraine’s defense minister. Khmara has been serving as acting defense minister.
The submission was confirmed by Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, who said parliament would consider the nomination soon. MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak was the first to report the move.
Cabinet reshuffle
During the government reshuffle in July, the positions of defense and foreign ministers remained vacant because the Constitution gives the president the authority to nominate candidates for those posts.
Khmara was appointed acting defense minister on July 20 following Mykhailo Fedorov’s departure. According to RBC-Ukraine sources, authorities had considered changing legislation to allow a military officer to remain in the armed forces while serving as defense minister during martial law. Ultimately, Khmara is expected to leave military service before taking the ministerial post.
Who is Yevhenii Khmara?
Khmara is a career military officer and special forces commander. He joined the Security Service of Ukraine’s Special Operations Center “A” in 2011 and became its commander in 2023.
He took part in fighting in Kyiv and Donetsk regions and personally led an operation to liberate Snake Island. He was also involved in Operation Spiderweb and in organizing systematic drone strikes against targets deep inside Russia, including airfields, oil refineries and ammunition depots.
Under his command, Special Operations Center “A” reportedly destroyed more than $5.5 billion worth of Russian military equipment, including more than 1,800 tanks.
Khmara has received the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the Order for Courage, Third Class, and the Cross of Military Merit.
He served as acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine from January 5, 2026, before taking over as acting defense minister.
