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. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky also participated 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. This is about the already known list of candidates for replacement, but Shmyhal himself will probably remain in his post.
Among the people who may leave the Cabinet of Ministers:
- Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Community, Territorial and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine;
- Denys Malyuska, Minister of Justice;
- Mykola Solsky, 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. Nothing has been decided yet, the decision has been postponed for another week,” a source from the faction shared. Zelensky and his entourage, while personnel issues were being considered, agreed on a replacement for the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. The most likely candidate for this position is the head of the Odessa regional administration, Oleh Kiper.
Zelensky also fired two deputy heads of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak: Andriy Smirnov and Oleksiy Dniprov. By May 20, when his five-year term ends, Zelensky is seeking to get rid of anyone he doesn't have absolute trust in.
