As thousands of Ukrainians protested the dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, parliament voted to appoint Serhii Koretskyi as prime minister as part of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s cabinet reshuffle — a move that proved far less contentious than the changes at the Defence Ministry.
Ukraine’s parliament has appointed Serhii Koretskyi as prime minister as part of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest government reshuffle.
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Koretskyi, who has led state company Naftogaz since May 2025, was nominated by Zelenskyy on 15 July in a move that largely went unnoticed as attention centred on a growing scandal at the Defence Ministry.
His experience at Naftogaz “will be invaluable, especially now as Ukraine prepares for what could be the most difficult winter in its history," David Arakhamia, head of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People faction in parliament.
Koretskyi takes office as Ukraine faces sustained Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Kyiv has said preparing the system for the coming winter is a top priority as Moscow continues its campaign to degrade the country's power network, leaving cities without electricity amid freezing temperatures.
Before moving into the state energy sector, Koretskyi built his career in Ukraine’s private energy industry. He later led state-owned energy firms Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta from 2022 to 2025, a period shaped by Russia’s full-scale invasion and Kyiv’s growing control over strategic assets.
He officially took over as Naftogaz chief executive in May 2025, following his appointment by the company’s supervisory board, with his tenure focused on keeping Ukraine’s energy infrastructure functioning under repeated Russian strikes on production facilities.
Koretskyi recently accompanied Zelenskyy to the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.