Ukraine’s legislature ousts PM Shmyhal and his cabinet
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada approved a resolution to dismiss the government of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Lawmakers reported the decision, noting that 261 parliamentarians voted in favor of the motion, with no votes against.
The day before, Shmyhal submitted a request for resignation to the Verkhovna Rada, expressing gratitude to Ukraine’s military, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and “the entire team for their tireless work for our country.”
Shmyhal holds the record as Ukraine’s longest-serving prime minister, having held the position for over five years. President Zelenskyy has proposed First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko as Shmyhal’s replacement.
Meanwhile, Shmyhal is likely to be appointed as the new Minister of Defense, with Zelenskyy stating that his experience “will definitely be valuable” in that role.
More about Shmyhal's government
Denys Shmyhal was appointed prime minister in March 2020, succeeding Oleksiy Honcharuk.
Under his Cabinet’s leadership, Ukraine navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and faced Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Shmyhal highlighted key achievements, including reforms in social insurance, education, public investment, and the expansion of the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) package, as well as transparent privatization. In 2024 alone, privatization generated nearly 10.5 billion hryvnias ($262 million) for state and local budgets, while land leasing brought in 344 million hryvnias ($8.6 million).
His government introduced the “eOselya” mortgage program, “eRobota” grants, the “5-7-9” preferential business loan program, compensation for Ukrainian agricultural equipment and energy equipment, and the establishment of industrial parks.
The government also implemented an administrative-territorial reform, reducing over 11,000 local councils to approximately 1,400 territorial communities.
Five years ago, Ukraine launched the Diia state web portal and mobile application, now offering over 130 public services for citizens and businesses.
Shmyhal also noted that Ukraine’s defense industry capabilities grew 35-fold over the past three years, reaching $35 billion in 2025.
Since February 2022, Ukraine disconnected from Russian and Belarusian energy grids, integrated into the European system, achieved full energy independence from Russia, and ceased transiting Russian gas through its territory.