Zelenskyy Cabinet Shakeup Puts Kyiv’s Winter Resilience in Focus

Sergii Koretskyi Photo by Andrew Kravchenko /Photographer: Andrew Kravchenko/

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(Bloomberg) — Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s surprise move to overhaul his government and potentially install an energy executive as prime minister is the latest sign of the Ukrainian president’s determination to spare his war-weary nation a repeat of last winter’s hardships.

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Zelenskyy said Sunday on social media that he planned to replace Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko as part of a broader change in “political strategy,” a move that will trigger the resignation of the entire cabinet under Ukrainian law.

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She’s likely to be replaced by either Sergii Koretskyi, chief executive officer of state-run energy company NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy, or former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, according to people familiar with the matter. They declined to be identified because they’re not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. 

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Zelenskyy said that preparations for winter were among the reasons for the leadership changes, as Ukraine’s power and heating infrastructure remain vulnerable to Russian ballistic-missile strikes and low supplies of interceptors.

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“An extremely important priority is preparing for the winter, and Ukraine must be ready for any threats that may arise,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.

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In several of the latest Russian attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s Air Force said none of the ballistic missiles were downed. Zelenskyy is expected in Paris on Monday for the meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing, where Ukraine’s allies are likely to discuss more aid for Kyiv including for air defense.

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Both Koretskyi, 48, and Shmyhal, 50, have extensive experience in the energy sector, which helps explain why they’ve emerged as the leading contenders to replace Svyrydenko.

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Naftogaz is responsible for importing, producing and storing Ukraine’s natural gas. While the country has faced major disruptions to electricity supplies during every wartime winter, it has avoided gas shortages while Koretskyi has been at the helm of the state-run company.

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Svyrydenko served as Ukraine’s prime minister for just shy of a year. She was widely seen as enjoying the backing of Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff who was once one of his most influential allies. 

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Yermak stepped down late last year amid a major corruption scandal involving several people from Zelenskyy’s inner circle.

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Svyrydenko largely avoided sharp criticism during her tenure, but she also failed to deliver any major reforms, focusing instead on social initiatives such as a one-time payment of 1,000 hryvnia ($22) to most Ukrainians to help households cope with winter.

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She’s expected to be appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, according to one of the people familiar with the matter, as ties between Kyiv and Washington appear to be improving after President Donald Trump agreed last week to allow Kyiv to domestically produce much-needed Patriot air defense missiles.