Zelenskiy reshuffles the government, sacks energy boss

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba resigned on September 4 as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy carries out the biggest government shake-up in four years.

Kuleba submitted a resignation letter to the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament's Telegram channel reported.

“I ask you to accept my resignation from the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine,” reads the document dated September 4, signed by Kuleba.

The application will be considered at one of the next meetings, the Verkhovna Rada specified. The reasons for the resignation are not specified.

Zelenskiy began the reshuffle a day earlier, sacking several prominent officials that led to others in his team quitting on September 3.

Several Ukrainian ministers submitted their resignations and rumours swirled that some very prominent figures may face the axe in what appears to be the biggest reshuffle since the war started over two years ago.

“One of the biggest government reshuffles in Zelenskiy’s tenure and since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion is underway,” Christopher Miller, the Financial Times correspondent to Ukraine, said in a social media post. “Some people will stay but be moved to other roles and take on broader portfolios. Some are gone for good. Some ministries will be folded into others. It will take a few days to play out. Ruling [Servant of the People] will meet tomorrow and discuss matters. Dismissals of officials will happen in Parliament in the next day or two, followed by new appointments.”

Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, Justice Minister Denys Maliuska, Ecology Minister Ruslan Strilets, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna and Deputy Prime Minister and Reintegration Minister Iryna Vereshchuk submitted their resignations to the Ukrainian parliament, chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk reported on September 3. 

Vitalii Koval, head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU), also submitted  his resignation, the FT reports. 

Zelenskiy also dismissed the deputy head of his presidential office in charge of economic and energy policy, Rostislav Shurma, according to a decree published on his official website.

Rumours swirled a day earlier that Kuleba was intending to submit his resignation; he has been Ukraine’s point man in a tireless world trotting campaign to rally international allies to Ukraine’s aid.

Sources in the government told Ukrainska Pravda that Kuleba will be replaced. “According to their information, the candidate for his place is still being determined, but the most likely replacement is Andrii Sybiga, the first deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Ukrainska Pravda reported. However, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is expected to keep his job.

None of those that resigned gave a reason for their decision to quit.

“Autumn will be extremely important for Ukraine. And our state institutions must be set up in such a way that Ukraine will achieve all the results we need – for all of us,” Zelenskiy said in his evening address on September 3. “To do this, we need to strengthen some areas in the government – and personnel decisions have been prepared.”

He said more changes were likely to happen within his office and that “certain areas of our foreign and domestic policies will have a slightly different emphasis”.

The decision comes on the same day as Russia escalated its missile strikes on Ukraine and struck a military college and medical facility in the city of Poltava on September 3, killing at least 51 people and wounding more than 250 people in one of the most deadly incidents since the war began.

Head of the Servant of the People's party David Arakhamia said that the reshuffle would affect half the government's staff on his Telegram channel.

“More than 50% of the staff of the CMU will undergo changes. Tomorrow is the day of layoffs, and the day after tomorrow is the day of appointments. The final list will be determined at the 4.09 faction meeting,” Arakhamia said in a post.

Some ministers will be moved sideways to new roles, while others are expected to leave the government altogether, according to local reports.

Zelenskiy has reluctantly made several personnel changes to military command during the war, previously sacking his defence minister Oleksii Reznikov in February 2022, who was linked to several large corruption scandals, as well as the popular commander-in-chief of the armed forces General Valerii Zaluzhnyi in February, and the heads of its foreign and domestic intelligence services and national security office.

But this shake-up is the largest since Zelenskiy's March 2020 reshuffle, when the president sacked a swathe of ministers and other top officials, including several well respected technocratic reformers, to consolidate his then increasingly shaky hold on power.

It was during that reshuffle the now Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was promoted to take over as the head of the cabinet after the previous Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk was removed.

Amongst the most prominent to lose their job so far has been the head of Ukraine's state grid operator Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, who is racing to repair as much of the damage to Ukraine’s power sector as he can. This has been brought about by an intense Russian bombing campaign since January that has knocked out half of Ukraine’s installed capacity. There are fears that Ukrainians will face a long dark and cold winter unless as much generating capacity can be brought back on line in the next few months.

Zelenskiy may be trying to shore up his position after he faced intense criticism for the Kursk incursion, which bne IntelliNews reported recently and which may have been a strategic blunder as it draws away elite forces from the Donbas front line, where Russia is making steady advances.

Energy chief dismissed

The dismissal of Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the former head of Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-owned energy grid operator, on 2 September 2024 has sparked significant controversy. His removal, allegedly due to his failure to protect energy infrastructure during Russian missile strikes, prompted immediate resignations from two independent supervisory board members and raised alarm among international partners.

Kudrytskyi, who had served since 2020, was accused of neglecting the security of energy facilities amidst frequent Russian attacks. However, in a joint statement, the board members who resigned – Daniel Dobbeni and Peder Andreasen – criticised the dismissal as "politically motivated" and lacking valid grounds. They further claimed political interference in Ukrenergo's leadership, stating that efforts were made to appoint individuals with questionable qualifications to the company's management.

Ukrenergo played a crucial role under Kudrytskyi’s leadership, including pushing Ukraine's disconnection from Russian and Belarusian energy grids in favour of integration with the European system. His dismissal comes just before winter, a critical period for Ukraine's energy demands, prompting concerns about the country's ability to maintain infrastructure under new leadership.

The removal has also raised fears of reputational damage and could erode trust with Ukraine's international partners.

Prior to his dismissal, international energy partners wrote to Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, expressing “grave concern” about rumours of his potential dismissal and requesting a delay in the decision until an empty independent board seat could be filled. Representatives for the EU, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Finance Corporation and the Business Ombudsman Council all signed the letter, the Kyiv Independent reports.

“It is untimely to have a sudden change of leadership in the midst of the war and the energy crisis. There is now an acting CEO but a proper search will need to be carried out for a permanent CEO. The sudden change of management could, as is often the case, delay progress in the implementation of important projects," Tuerkner told the Kyiv Independent.

There were also unproven allegations of corruption tied to Kudrytskyi, including claims regarding the procurement of bulletproof vests in 2022. Despite an investigation, no charges were pressed. Nonetheless, the Zelenskiy administration reportedly pushed for his removal, raising questions about the true motivations behind the decision.

With Oleksiy Brekht now serving as interim head of Ukrenergo, the energy sector – and its international backers – remain in a state of uncertainty as the company braces for the upcoming winter and ongoing military challenges.

Controversial captain

A controversial captain was chief of staff for Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, a day earlier.

Captain Roman Hladkyi, who was previously dismissed from the Navy amid controversy, has been appointed Chief of Staff of the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske reported on August 30, citing USF communication specialist Vitalii Medvediev.

The SBU had no comments regarding the appointment of the scandalous chief of staff of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Roman Hladky. Hladky is suspected of treason, espionage and corruption. His wife has Russian citizenship, and his daughter represented the Russian Federation in sports competitions.