Overview
- The Verkhovna Rada approved Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister with 277 votes, and he took the oath of office.
- A parliamentary committee endorsed Fedorov’s candidacy a day earlier, and some MPs from Batkivshchyna, Holos and 17 from Servant of the People abstained or did not vote.
- Fedorov pledged a deep audit of the Defence Ministry and the Armed Forces and a review of recruitment centers to cut bureaucracy and address supply failures.
- On January 13, parliament accepted the resignations of Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, Digital Transformation Minister Fedorov and Security Service chief Vasyl Maliuk.
- Also on January 13, lawmakers rejected President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal to appoint Shmyhal as energy minister, with 210 votes in favor short of the 226 required despite committee support and backing from Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.