Khmara ready to lead Defense Ministry despite Fedorov dismissal — Ukrainian MP

"I believe Mykhailo Fedorov should not have been dismissed from the position of defense minister. I think one of the most rational decisions would have been to return Mykhailo Fedorov to the post," he said.

The lawmaker revealed that during the resignation of the previous government, Fedorov shared with him and other MPs across various factions the names of several generals who share his strategic vision.

"Shared values, shared ideas, and shared approaches. Any one of them would make an excellent defense minister — specifically, [Mykhailo Fedorov] named Generals [Kyrylo] Budanov, [Vasyl] Malyuk, and Khmara," the lawmaker noted.

Poturayev added that, based on Fedorov’s endorsement, he is fully confident in Khmara’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defense.

"He is not merely a special operations commander," the MP said.

"He is someone who not only organized incredibly effective operations deep in the enemy's rear, but who transformed the Alpha special operations center alongside General Malyuk into an entirely new entity that develops, produces, and procures advanced weaponry. Yevhenii Khmara fully understands modern digital warfare and what next-generation armed forces should look like. I am convinced he is the person who can continue the reforms initiated under Mykhailo Fedorov’s tenure."

Yevhenii Khmara's appointment

On July 16, Verkhovna Rada appointed Serhiy Koretskyi as prime minister, replacing Yuliya Svyrydenko, and approved the new government lineup, excluding the foreign and defense ministers, whose nominations had not yet been submitted by the president.

On July 17, the Cabinet appointed Khmara as acting defense minister.

On Aug. 19, Verkhovna Rada officially confirmed Khmara as Ukraine's Minister of Defense, with 312 lawmakers voting in favor.

Khmara confirmed that he had been discharged from active military duty and is now a civilian, fulfilling the requirement under the Law on National Security of Ukraine that the defense minister be a civilian.

Khmara becomes independent Ukraine’s 21st defense minister, the ninth since the start of Russian aggression in 2014, and the fifth since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. He replaces Fedorov, who led the ministry from Jan. 14 to July 16, 2026, as the youngest defense minister in Ukraine's history.

Following Fedorov’s dismissal, daily public protests erupted across Ukraine, continuing outside the Verkhovna Rada on the day of Khmara's confirmation.