Ukrainian Domestic — 2026-07-17

Ukraine's parliament approves Naftogaz chief Serhii Koretskyi as new prime minister

BLUFKoretskyi's elevation locks wartime energy survival into the premiership's mandate, but his lack of a parliamentary base leaves coalition discipline fragile heading into winter and the Fedorov-replacement fallout.

The Verkhovna Rada appointed Serhii Koretskyi, head of state energy company Naftogaz, as prime minister on Thursday, with 289 of 392 deputies voting in favor, one against, seven abstaining and 21 not voting 12. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had nominated Koretskyi on Wednesday 13 to succeed Yulia Svyrydenko, who resigned after exactly one year in the post 2. Zelenskyy said preparing for winter and protecting energy infrastructure are the government's priorities, while Koretskyi told parliament his government would also focus on supporting defense forces and frontline communities 34. The same reshuffle removed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whom lawmakers said Zelenskyy will replace with Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, a change the Kyiv Independent reported triggered nationwide protests 13.

Analysis
Koretskyi's confirmation hands Ukraine's wartime energy management to the premiership just as officials brace for what they call the toughest heating season of the war, tying cabinet performance directly to grid resilience under sustained Russian strikes. The simultaneous removal of Fedorov, a defense minister credited with recent battlefield momentum, in favor of Interior Minister Klymenko introduces friction between Zelenskyy's inner circle and reform-minded lawmakers who backed Fedorov's ministry overhaul and triggered protests. Koretskyi arrives from corporate management with no prior political base in parliament; his capacity to hold the governing coalition together through Klymenko's transition and winter energy losses is untested.

4 sources

Ukrainian parliament appoints Koretskyi as prime minister - Kyiv Independent
Rada appoints Koretsky as Prime Minister - Interfax-Ukraine
Zelenskyy backs state energy company chief Koretskyi for new Ukraine PM - Al Jazeera
Ukraine gets a new prime minister. Who is Serhii Koretskyi? - Ukrainska Pravda