On July 14, the Verkhovna Rada will vote on the resignation of Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko — and this week Ukraine will get a new government led by Serhiy Koretskyi. At a meeting of the Servant of the People faction, Zelenskyy personally presented key candidates. Three new names became a surprise, one — an expected casualty of public conflict.
Why Fedorov Disappeared from the List
Mykhailo Fedorov, who moved from the Ministry of Digital Transformation to the Ministry of Defense, will not be included in the new government. According to Ukrainian Pravda, Zelenskyy explained the reason directly to deputies: "I cannot allow the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff to be fighting each other in a country at war."
"Syrskyi came and said: Fedorov gives us nothing for specific operations. Then Fedorov came and said: we gave everything, they're just using it incorrectly. And so it went in circles."
Sources close to the faction meeting, Ukrainian Pravda
Fedorov's attempts to transfer defense procurement to open tenders and replace "manual management" with mathematical algorithms ultimately resulted in an ultimatum from the military: either them or the minister's team. Zelenskyy chose the generals. According to available information, the Ministry of Defense will remain under Ihor Klymenko. Fedorov's deputy Oleksandr Bornyakov is temporarily acting as head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
Three New Names
Vsevolod Chentsov — Vice Prime Minister for European Integration. A career diplomat since 1996, ambassador to the Netherlands, Ukraine's representative to the EU — a man who directly conducted negotiations on EU accession and sanctions policy against Russia. Chentsov's transition from Brussels to the government is a signal that the European integration track should be moved from diplomatic to management mode.
Vitaliy Kim — Minister for Veterans Affairs. Governor of Mykolaiv region, whose face became a symbol of resistance in the first months of the full-scale invasion, will receive a portfolio where the main problem is not publicity but bureaucracy: over a million veterans, scattered payments, and an absent reintegration system.
Denys Maslov — Minister of Justice. Judge, lawyer, "Honored Lawyer of Ukraine," since 2020 — MP and head of the Committee on Legal Policy. An intra-party appointment without external surprises.
Rest of the Architecture
- The Ministry of Community Development is planned to be divided: Vitaliy Bezgin — Ministry of Regional Development, Mykola Kalashnik — Ministry of Infrastructure.
- Ivan Vygyvskyi — Interior Ministry.
- Oleksandr Kravchenko will replace Oleksii Soboliev at the Ministry of Economy; Soboliev himself will move to the Presidential Office.
- Taras Vysotskyi — Ministry of Agrarian Policy, Andriy Butenko — Ministry of Education.
- Oksana Ferchuk — Ministry of Digital Transformation (finally).
Part of the faction has already stated it is not ready to vote "as a package" for the entire government composition — deputies want separate votes for each minister. A precedent is dangerous for Bankova: if voting is delayed, the probability of horse-trading increases.
If the Rada still agrees to package voting — Zelenskyy will get the Cabinet of Ministers without public concessions to the opposition. If not: how ready is Servant of the People to trade candidates to keep things intact?
