Zelensky Orders Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara to Serve as Acting Defense Minister, Will Seek Parliamentary Approval

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that he has instructed Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara to perform the duties of Ukraine’s defense minister and that he plans to ask parliament to support Khmara’s formal appointment once the required legal steps are completed.

In a post on his official Telegram channel on July 16, Zelensky said he had discussed with Khmara Ukraine’s long-range operations against Russia and the supply of Ukraine’s security units and Defense Forces. He wrote, “Доручив Євгенію Хмарі виконувати обовʼязки міністра, продовжити реформування сфери оборони і забезпечити Україні всі ті результати, про які ми говорили.”

The announcement did not itself make Khmara defense minister. Under Ukraine’s Constitution, the defense minister is appointed by the Verkhovna Rada, the country’s parliament, on the submission of the president. As of checks Thursday, there was no verified evidence that the Rada had voted to appoint Khmara to the post.

Khmara is already a senior wartime security official, not an outsider to Ukraine’s military and intelligence leadership. He is a major-general and, since Jan. 5, 2026, has been designated by presidential decree to temporarily perform the duties of head of the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, the country’s domestic security agency. Ukrainian reporting has also described him as the head or commander of the SBU’s Special Operations Center “A,” known as “Alpha,” an elite special-operations unit.

Zelensky’s post framed the move as part of Ukraine’s push to strengthen long-range and technology-driven warfare capabilities. He said he had discussed with Khmara long-range operations against Russia as well as the supply needs of Ukraine’s forces, and he praised Khmara’s experience in technological strike operations. Zelensky added, “Саме на цьому має зосереджуватись наша оборона у цій війні.”

The president also made clear that he intends to seek formal approval later, after the legal process is complete. “Після того як необхідні юридичні процедури будуть дотримані, буду звертатись до парламентарів за підтримкою Євгенія Хмари на посаду міністра оборони України,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

For context, Mykhailo Fedorov was appointed defense minister by parliament on Jan. 14, 2026. Ukrainian media reported Thursday on a broader cabinet reshuffle around the Defense Ministry and said parliament had not yet received or voted on a new presidential submission for defense minister.

For now, the practical effect of Zelensky’s announcement is that Khmara has been told by the president to carry out the ministry’s duties and continue defense-sector reforms. But under Ukraine’s constitutional process, he does not formally become defense minister unless the required legal procedures are completed and the Verkhovna Rada votes to approve the president’s nomination.