Zelensky appoints Ukraine's acting security service chief as acting defense minister

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday named intelligence and counterterrorism official Yevhenii Khmara as acting defense minister after a controversial government reshuffle sparked protests across Ukraine.

Zelensky said in a social media post that he would formally ask parliament to approve Khmara as defense minister once the required legal procedures had been completed.

The appointment follows widespread public anger over Zelensky's dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov earlier this week, a move that prompted demonstrations in Kyiv and other cities that continued on Friday.

Parliament on Thursday approved most members of Zelensky's new cabinet, but the defense and foreign minister posts remained vacant because, under Ukrainian law, candidates for those positions must be nominated separately by the president.

Khmara, a major general, has served as acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) since January, following the dismissal of his predecessor, Vasyl Malyuk. Before that, he led the SBU's Alpha Special Operations Center, an elite unit responsible for counterterrorism operations and intelligence support, as well as some of Ukraine's long-range strikes against Russian targets.

At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Khmara took part in operations to drive Russian forces out of the Kyiv region.

Explaining his choice, Zelensky said Khmara's experience leading technology-driven long-range strike operations made him well suited to oversee Ukraine's defense during the war.

"Yevhenii Khmara has gained extensive — and in many respects unprecedented — experience in conducting technology-driven strike operations. This is exactly what our defense should be focused on in this war," Zelensky said.

Following Khmara's appointment, his first deputy, Oleksandr Poklad, is expected to become acting head of the SBU.

Several Ukrainian lawmakers questioned whether Khmara's appointment complied with the law, saying Ukrainian legislation requires the defense minister and deputy defense ministers to be civilians rather than serving military officers.