A wave of senior Ukrainian government officials announced their resignations this week in what Kiev said was part of a long-planned major government reshuffle.
Ukraine's foreign minister, two deputy prime ministers, the justice minister, the environment minister, the head of the state property fund and the head of the national power grid were fired or resigned this week. The initial resignations were submitted before the Ukrainian government announced the personnel changes, but they have now become mainstream. Observed By Kyiv Independent“No reason for the resignation has been disclosed.”
Whatever the issues behind this, most cabinet changes in Ukraine are treated as resignations, even if they are dismissals, because of the Ukrainian parliament's procedure for approving resignations. Indeed, some of those changes have been approved, even though the Rada rejected the resignations of two officials on Wednesday.
The change is the biggest in Ukraine's leadership since the start of the defensive war against Russia and will leave the country without some of its best-known leaders. Outgoing Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is perhaps the best-known figure in the Ukrainian government, aside from President Volodymyr Zelensky. He is known for his tireless diplomatic efforts in foreign capitals, as well as for being the last Ukrainian politician to wear a suit and tie every day, rather than the mandatory paramilitary uniform.
Also attracting global attention is Minister of Arms Production Oleksandr Kamyshin, who has been subject to a string of criticism. Personal Profile He submitted his resignation on Tuesday, citing his status as a media-savvy figure who has been given unprecedented strategic importance by Ukraine's railways and who became an unlikely celebrity in the early days of the war.
The reasons for some of the dismissals, whether they were resignations or firings, have been the subject of speculation. Times London Notes Kuleba's resignation came just days after he sparked a diplomatic rift with Poland, Ukraine's main ally, over the massacres of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists in the 1940s. Ukraine Pravda Revealed Inside sources said he was scheduled to be “fired” the day before it was made public.
Volodymyr Kudritsky, the head of Ukraine's state power grid operator Ukrenergo, was reportedly fired on Monday for failing to keep electricity flowing amid Russia's plot to bomb energy infrastructure.
Zelenskiy's supporters say the sudden wave of resignations is part of a plan and more are likely to follow. David Alakamia, leader of Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party, said a cabinet reshuffle was underway “as promised,” replacing more than 50 percent of government employees, with firings continuing and new appointments beginning on Thursday.
Arakamia also called on citizens to pay attention to “official news”, suggesting the government was trying to quash rumours about the situation.
Zelenskyy offered his own perspective in remarks on Tuesday night, saying, “The fall will be crucial for Ukraine, and our state institutions must be in place to enable Ukraine to achieve all the results we all need. To that end, we need to strengthen some areas of government, and we are ready to make personnel decisions. “There will be some changes in “certain areas of foreign and domestic policy,” Zelenskyy said.
While the scale and pace of change is unprecedented, Zelensky has made it clear he is prepared to replace officers and ministers he feels have not lived up to expectations during the war. As always, these changes come with a change in direction and promises to strengthen the war effort. Indeed, this week's firings and resignations strongly mirror the dismissal of his war cabinet, which took place almost exactly one year ago, just before Zelensky flew to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly.
President Zelensky is expected to return to the UN next week for the same meeting and reportedly present a “victory plan” to President Biden.
