Major political shake-up starts in Ukraine; arms chief, ministers quit

A major shake-up of the government is under way in Ukraine after at least six ministers resigned and a presidential aide was fired.

Among those who quit late on Tuesday was Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin who was in charge of weapons production. He said he expected to take another role in defence.

Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna as well as the justice, environment and reintegration ministers also resigned, as did the head of Ukraine’s State Property Fund, Vitaliy Koval.

About a third of the positions in the cabinet are now vacant.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was elected in 2019, signalled last week he planned a major reshuffle.

In his regular evening address, he reiterated the need for change.

“Autumn will be extremely important for Ukraine. And our state institutions should be configured so that Ukraine achieves all the results that we need – for all of us,” he said.

“For this, we must strengthen some areas of the government and changes in its makeup have been prepared. There will also be changes in the (president’s) office.”

A decree on the president’s website showed he had also fired Rostyslav Shurma, a deputy chief of staff who handles the economy.