In a move that has stirred political controversy across Ukraine, the country’s parliament has formally confirmed Sergiy Koretsky, the longtime head of state-owned energy giant Naftogaz, as Ukraine’s new prime minister. The appointment is the centerpiece of a sweeping high-level government shakeup ordered by President Volodymyr Zelensky, which has already drawn public pushback over the removal of a popular senior cabinet member.
At 48 years old, Koretsky comes to the prime minister’s office with a track record of steering Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure through extreme wartime pressure. Zelensky has framed Koretsky’s appointment as a strategic choice to prepare the nation for another harsh winter, a period that has consistently seen Russia intensify targeted attacks on Ukraine’s energy network to disrupt civilian life.
The reshuffle began earlier this week when former prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Tuesday. When announcing the leadership changes, Zelensky gave only a vague explanation, stating that Kyiv was adjusting its political strategy to match emerging new challenges and tasks. He has not yet provided a detailed public justification for the overhaul of the country’s top political leadership team.
Koretsky used his first parliamentary address following his confirmation to highlight his record leading Naftogaz, the backbone of Ukraine’s national heating supply system. “We weathered the harshest winter and ensured an uninterrupted supply of gas to Ukrainians, despite significant losses of our own production,” he told lawmakers. “We have proven that government administration can and should be effective,” he added.
Koretsky was at the helm of Naftogaz during last winter’s widespread Russian assault on energy infrastructure, when Russian drone and missile strikes triggered mass blackouts and heating outages across the country amid subzero temperatures. His experience keeping energy systems operational under attack is widely cited as the key qualification Zelensky administration officials have highlighted for the new premier.
The most contentious part of the reshuffle has been the ousting of popular reformist defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, which sparked public outrage almost immediately. Early Thursday, protests broke out in multiple Ukrainian cities, with demonstrators gathering to demand Fedorov’s reinstatement to his post.
The leadership overhaul comes at a critical juncture in Ukraine’s more than four-year war with Russia. Moscow has recently ramped up deadly ballistic missile strikes across Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv is moving forward with plans to begin domestic production of U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles to boost its defensive capabilities.