Zelenskyy appoints head of Ukraine's intelligence service as acting defense minister

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday appointed Yevhen Khmara as acting defense minister, saying he would ask parliament to formally approve his nomination once the required legal procedures are completed.

Zelenskyy announced the appointment on Telegram after parliament earlier Thursday approved most members of the new Cabinet but left the posts of defense and foreign minister vacant, as candidates for those positions must be nominated separately by the president under Ukraine's Constitution.

The president said Khmara would head the Defense Ministry in an acting capacity until the appointment process is completed.

Khmara is a major general and career officer in the Security Service of Ukraine. He has served in the service's Alpha special forces unit since 2011, headed the Special Operations Center "A" since 2023, and has been serving as acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine since January 2026.

The appointment follows the departure of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov as part of a broader government reshuffle initiated by Zelenskyy.

Earlier Thursday, Zelenskyy acknowledged tensions between the Defense Ministry and the General Staff, saying disagreements had extended beyond reported personal differences between former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.