Ukraine Cabinet reshuffle expected as several ministers quit

Ukraine is likely to see a Cabinet reshuffle after several ministers submitted their resignations.

Their requests will be considered in the next parliamentary session, parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

The ministers in question are Olexander Kamyshin, who is responsible for the defence industry, Justice Minister Denys Maliuska and Environment Minister Ruslan Strilets.

Vitaly Koval, the head of the State Property Fund responsible for privatization, also wants to leave office.

The resignations of the deputy heads of government Olha Stefanishyna and Iryna Vereshchuk also emerged late on Tuesday. Vereshchuk is responsible for refugee issues, while Stefanishyna is responsible for Ukraine's European integration.

The parliamentary group leader of the presidential party Servants of the People, David Arakhamia, announced further changes to the Cabinet were coming.

According to Arakhamia, there will be new appointments to more than half of all ministries. The final list will be announced at the parliamentary group meeting on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the head of electricity grid operator Ukrenergo will also need replacing following reports that its head Volodymyr Kudrytskyi was dismissed by the state-owned company's board of directors.

Kudrytskyi headed Ukrenergo since 2020, but was recently blamed for inadequate protective measures for the country's substations against Russian drone and missile attacks.

Since a massive Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure at the beginning of last week, Ukraine has again experienced hours of unplanned power outages.

Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for over two and a half years. The government under Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has been in office since March 2020.