Yevheniy Khmara is the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine

312 deputies voted in favor of the nomination. 226 votes were needed to obtain a majority.

Before the vote, Chmara presented the key priorities of his work in a speech to parliament: taking the strategic initiative in all areas of operations in the war with Russia, timely deliveries of weapons to the front and transparent public procurement procedures.

We have three key priorities of equal importance. These are: the front and strengthening of the armed forces, people and the development of the defense industry. So the front. It is about taking the strategic initiative in all areas of warfare: on land, at sea, in the air and in the information space, said the new minister.

He emphasized that the needs of the front must quickly reach the ministry, and the decisions of the ministry must reach the front.

As he noted, special emphasis should be placed on long- and medium-range strikes. He recalled that a series of successful Ukrainian attacks on targets on Russian territory "showed the strength of cooperation between the Defense Forces, producers and state institutions."

There will be more Ukrainian weapons and the strikes will be more and more precise, he assured.

Chmara considered human capital and the life and health of soldiers to be the priority and greatest value.

Technologies are needed to give the Ukrainian defender an advantage and the risk to humans is kept to a minimum. My job is to contact the defenders directly. Listen to commanders, soldiers and the wounded. I also know from my own experience that a soldier is motivated when he feels that he is respected, receives appropriate training and has fair rules of service, he said.

Who is the new minister?

Yevheniy Khmara is a major general of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and former commander of the elite Special Operations Center "A" - known as "Alpha".

From January 2026, Chmara was acting head of the SBU. Previously, he served, among others, at the "Omega" Special Purpose Center of the National Guard, and then for nearly 15 years in the SBU structures. After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, it participated in operations in the Kiev region and Donbas, including the battles for Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. He was also involved in the operation to reclaim Snake Island in 2022.

As the head of "Alfa", he was responsible for a unit specializing in, among others, in the use of drones and long-range operations. He is decorated with, among others, Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and the Cross of Combat Merit.

Why was Mykhaila Fedorov dismissed?

Mykhailo Fedorov lost his position as Minister of Defense in July as a result of the growing conflict with the command of the Ukrainian army, primarily with the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrski. The dispute was to concern the pace of reforms, the conduct of military operations and the implementation of technology - especially drones - on the front.