Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday endorsed the director general of state-owned Naftogaz, Sergiy Koretsky, as his candidate to lead the new government, one day after Parliament accepted Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko’s resignation. The Verkhovna Rada is scheduled to vote on the successor on Thursday, and the ruling party’s parliamentary majority makes the appointment nearly certain.
“The priorities are clear: prepare for winter,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv, according to Reuters. “Therefore, after all consultations, Sergiy Koretsky is undoubtedly the most prepared candidate for the office of prime minister of Ukraine.”
Koretsky’s selection underscores Kyiv’s urgency over the upcoming heating season. Since the start of the large-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has systematically attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and each winter becomes a severe test for civilians. Koretsky became head of Naftogaz in May 2025 after transforming the state oil company Ukrnafta from a loss-making firm into one of the most profitable entities in Ukraine’s public sector — a track record Zelensky specifically cited when offering him the post. According to sources quoted by Ukrainska Pravda, the president outlined the future government’s priorities in that meeting: securing gas reserves, protecting energy infrastructure, and stabilizing the economy under wartime conditions.
Svyrydenko’s dismissal automatically triggered the resignation of the entire cabinet and opens the largest government reshuffle since the war began. Zelensky announced the reorganization on July 12 via a Telegram message, saying the changes were necessary to “implement an updated political strategy,” without providing further details. Parliament accepted her resignation on Tuesday, July 14, with 258 votes in favor and one against. An economist by training, Svyrydenko became prime minister in July 2025 and negotiated the strategic minerals agreement with the United States. Her departure is linked to the “Midas” case, an alleged $100 million bribery scheme at state nuclear firm Energoatom that has already cost Presidential Administration head Andriy Yermak and several ministers their jobs since November 2025.
The most sensitive question for the new cabinet is the future of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, 35, who moved from the Ministry of Digital Transformation to the defense portfolio in January 2026. Fedorov is the architect of Ukraine’s long-range drone strategy: under his leadership the number of domestic unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers rose from seven at the start of the war to more than 500 today. When asked whether Fedorov would remain in his post, Zelensky said he would meet with him and with military commanders before speaking to his party’s deputies, without committing to a decision.
That ambiguity has practical implications. Ukraine has been pressing attacks into Russian territory with drones for weeks, a tactic that has altered the conflict’s dynamics and requires continuity in technical leadership. Zelensky is placing energy management at the center of the executive while the power grid remains a primary Russian target. Leaving unresolved the status of the minister who leads the technological aspects of the war highlights how much of the cabinet reshuffle is still under development.