The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced the conduct of interviews with candidates for the positions of heads of five regional military administrations. According to him, new leaders will soon be appointed in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions.
This is reported by Kyiv24
“Appointments will be made in the near future: Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions. I thank the leaders who have worked in these positions. The names of the new heads will be announced after the formal procedures for the appointments are completed,” the head of state said.
Key Tasks for the New Heads of Regional Military Administrations
The President emphasized that the new heads of the regional military administrations face a number of important tasks. First and foremost, they must strengthen local self-government, enhance the resilience of communities, and expand the regions’ capabilities to assist the population and ensure citizens’ safety. Zelensky stressed the need for coordinated work across all regions to ensure the country’s defense.
Earlier, on January 3, the president had already announced changes in the leadership of regional military administrations in five regions of Ukraine.
Personnel Changes in the Government
Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with Denys Shmyhal on January 3, proposing that he move from the position of Minister of Defense to the role of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy. The head of state informed about this on social media. The day before, on January 2, Zelensky suggested to the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, to head the Ministry of Defense.
The Ministry of Energy has been without a head since November 19, after the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Ministers Svitlana Hrynchuk and Herman Halushchenko in connection with an NABU investigation into possible corrupt actions in the energy sector.
On July 17, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada appointed a new government led by Yulia Svyrydenko, while Mykhailo Fedorov remained the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation. On the same day, the parliament confirmed Shmyhal as Minister of Defense following his dismissal from the position of Prime Minister, which he had held for over five years.
Today, President Zelensky announced that Kyrylo Budanov has agreed to head the Office of the President of Ukraine. Budanov described this as “an honor and responsibility – to focus on critically important issues of the country’s strategic security during a historic time for Ukraine.”
It later became known that Oleg Ivashchenko has been appointed as the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, having previously led the Foreign Intelligence Service since March 2024. The president promised to announce the new head of the Foreign Intelligence Service soon.