Long-time Ukrainian government members lose their positions one after another

Rats are fleeing the ship, Professor of the University of Helsinki and expert in geopolitical affairs Tuomas Malinen commented on recent resignations in the Ukrainian government.

Photo: president.gov.ua by PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY Official website, CC BY 4.0

"Inflection point closing. Rats are fleeing the sinking ship. Be prepared.," he wrote on X platform.

On September 3, several ministers submitted their resignation statements to the Verkhovna Rada (the Parliament) of Ukraine:

• Minister of Justice Denys Malyuska,
• Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin,
• Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strelets,
• and Chairman of the State Property Fund Vitaliy Koval.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba resigned as well. Kuleba plans to work in the field of Ukraine's relations with NATO, Bloomberg said with reference to a source in the Ukrainian government. Kuleba headed the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine in 2020.

Zelensky: Government reshuffle needed ahead of major events this fall

Personnel changes in the Ukrainian government are connected with events that will take place this autumn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his Telegram channel.

According to him, the autumn of 2024 will be "extremely important" for the country, which is why it is necessary to strengthen some areas of the government. In this regard, personnel decisions were prepared.

The head of the parliamentary faction Servant of the People David Arakhamia said that Ukraine would face a "day of dismissals" on September 4. According to him, a half of the Ukrainian government would be sacked for a "big restart."

Five ministers have left their posts, including Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna, Minister of Justice Denys Malyuska and Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin.

It is worthy of note that the head of the Ukrainian energy company Ukrenergo, Vladimir Kudritsky, who was responsible for the generation and distribution of energy capacity in combat conditions, also lost his post. Formally, he was removed from his position by the supervisory board of the enterprise, but company's top managers spoke about pressure from the authorities when making the decision.

Deputy head of the office of the President of Ukraine Rostislav Shurma also lost his post. According to Strana.ua, he was responsible for energy and economic sectors.

"Since there was a lot of tension around him due to constant attacks, (…) he has long wanted to go into the shadows, and now he has succeeded. However, the question of security guarantees immediately arises here so that security forces do not start tearing him apart after the resignation," a source close to the official told the publication.

The third resignation on this list affected the Ukrainian army. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Oleksandr Syrsky suspended Chief of Staff of the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) Command Roman Gladky from his duties. Gladky was previously suspected of treason. A committee of the Verkhovna Rada suggested that the officer's wife and children may have Russian citizenship. They asked the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to conduct an investigation into this matter.

Details

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine. As the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, it was formed on 18 April 1991, by the Law of Ukrainian SSR No.980-XII. Vitold Fokin was approved as the first Prime Minister of Ukraine.
The cabinet is a collegiate body consisting of the cabinet's "presidium" composed of the Prime Minister of Ukraine and their vice prime ministers as well as other ministers who participate and vote on sessions of the cabinet. The prime minister presides over the cabinet. Some vice prime ministers may be appointed as the first vice prime ministers. Unlike the Soviet period of the government when presidium was actually a functioning institution, the current government presidium is nominal and vice prime ministers do not have much advantage over other ministers. All government decisions are being voted for and adopted at the sessions of the cabinet by ministers only or heads of central offices of executive authority with ministerial status. The Secretariat of Cabinet of Ministers ensures the operations of the cabinet, while the National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service provides human resources of government officials.