Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 12, 2026, plans to replace Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and reshuffle the government and law enforcement leadership [1, 2, 3, 4]. Svyrydenko, aged 40, who had served as Prime Minister for roughly one year since her appointment in July 2025, resigned on July 14, with Ukraine's parliament accepting her resignation [1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 4]. She said, "Every day this year demanded difficult decisions and decisive action. I am deeply grateful for the trust and support I received" [5]. She added that she remains ready to continue serving Ukraine in other roles [8].
Zelensky expressed gratitude for her work, stating, "I am grateful to Yuliia for her clear, steady, and effective work as Prime Minister, for her years of productive service on Ukraine’s team," and offered her a new role related to relations with a key partner, possibly as ambassador to the United States [1, 2, 3, 4].
Under Ukrainian law, the change of Prime Minister triggered the resignation of the entire government [1, 5, 4]. Several candidates were considered to replace Svyrydenko, including Sergii Koretskyi, CEO of state energy company Naftogaz; former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, current Energy Minister; and Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov [1, 2, 9, 5, 6, 4].
Koretskyi, 48, an engineer and economist with over 20 years in the energy sector and Naftogaz CEO since May 2025, emerged as the leading candidate. Zelensky noted the urgency of winter preparedness and energy security amid ongoing Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, saying, "The priorities are clear – preparing for winter. Therefore, following all the consultations, Sergii Koretskyi is surely the most prepared candidate for the post of prime minister of Ukraine" [2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11].
On July 16, 2026, Ukraine’s parliament approved Sergii Koretskyi as the new Prime Minister with 289 votes in favor, making him the country’s third wartime head of government [10, 12, 11]. Alongside the government changes, Zelensky also announced reshuffles among heads of law enforcement agencies [1, 2, 3, 4].
