Ukraine names new prime minister, defense post empty

Ukraine's parliament appointed Serhii Koretskyi as the country's new prime minister on July 16, completing a swift government overhaul that has sparked significant public unrest over the dismissal of popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Koretskyi received 289 votes in the Verkhovna Rada, finalizing the second full cabinet change within a year. The reshuffle proceeded without a detailed public explanation from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or outgoing Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko on why the wartime government needed replacement.

The process began on July 12 when President Zelenskyy announced the government reset. Parliament voted to dismiss Svyridenko and dissolve her entire cabinet on July 14. The following day, Zelenskyy told journalists that Koretskyi, the former head of the state energy company Naftogaz, was the most prepared candidate for prime minister. The formal submission from the president reached parliament on July 15, with lawmakers approving the new cabinet head the next day.

However, the new government was approved with a major vacancy: it lacks a defense minister. Positions for foreign minister and defense minister fall under the president's constitutional quota...