Ukraine’s parliament on Thursday approved Serhii Koretskyi, the head of state energy company Naftogaz, as the country’s new prime minister with 289 votes in favour, part of a sweeping government reshuffle ordered by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The vote followed the resignation of Yulia Svyrydenko, who had led the cabinet for exactly one year, and came as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the legislature to denounce the parallel dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after only six months in the post. The dual move marks the third change of prime minister since Russia’s full-scale invasion and has exposed rare public friction over wartime leadership.

Viewed from Kyiv, the removal of Fedorov is the most contentious element of the overhaul. The 35-year-old minister had overseen a rapid expansion of drone procurement, the blocking of Starlink access for Russian forces, and a campaign against logistics in occupied Crimea, earning him broad popularity and the confidence of Western partners. In a statement to journalists, Fedorov said his mandate was ending after a dispute with the chief of the armed forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom he accused of obstructing defence ministry initiatives. Protesters in the capital and other cities carried signs reading “Do not change what works” and chanted “Shame,” while Pavlo Yelizarov, deputy commander of the air force, announced his resignation in solidarity, calling the decision a “great harm” to Ukraine’s defence.

Zelenskyy’s office has presented the reshuffle as a necessary refresh of the government’s political strategy, with the president describing Koretskyi as “the most prepared candidate” to steer the country through another winter of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure. Koretskyi, a 48-year-old engineer with no prior political experience, told lawmakers that his tenure at Naftogaz had demonstrated that “public management can and must be effective.” Yet his appointment has been met with surprise in the capital, and some Ukrainian media and war veterans have characterised the broader shake-up as a purge of effective ministers in favour of loyalists. Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a veteran and protest organiser, accused the president of replacing competent officials with “yes men,” a sentiment that prompted the pro-government outlet United24 Media to suspend publications in solidarity with the demonstrations.

In Brussels, European Union officials have privately voiced unease at the sudden removal of a reform-minded defence minister, according to Italian press reports, while analysts in Western capitals note that Fedorov’s departure could complicate coordination on military aid at a delicate phase of the war. The Ukrainian parliament is expected to confirm further cabinet appointments later on Thursday, with Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko tipped to take over the defence portfolio. Fedorov has declined an offer to serve as a presidential adviser, leaving the new government to manage both the operational demands of the conflict and a domestic legitimacy test without one of its most visible reformers.