On the evening of April 22, a meeting of the leadership of the "Servant of the People" faction was held in the Verkhovna Rada, where a possible change of leadership in some ministries was discussed. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy also took part in this meeting, which was held with the participation of the heads of committees from this political force. However, the decision on personnel changes in the government was postponed for another week.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was also present at the meeting. We are talking about the already known list of candidates for replacement, but Shmyhal himself will probably remain in his position.
Among the persons who may leave the Cabinet of Ministers:
- Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine;
- Denys Malyuska, Minister of Justice;
- Mykola Solskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food;
- Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories;
- Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science.
"This is a very difficult situation. Trying to replace someone raises questions about others. So far, nothing has been decided, the decision has been postponed for another week," a source from the faction shared. Zelenskyy and his entourage agreed to replace the Prosecutor General of Ukraine while personnel issues were being considered. The most likely candidate for this position is Oleg Kiper, the head of the Odesa regional administration.
Zelenskyi also fired two deputy heads of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak: Andriy Smirnov and Oleksiy Dniprov. By May 20, when his five-year term expires, Zelenskyy aims to get rid of all persons whom he does not have absolute trust.
