Ukraine’s ousted minister Mykhailo Fedorov calls for wartime elections

The Ukrainian parliament approved the nomination of Yevhen Khmara, a former high-ranking Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer, as the new defense minister on August 19. President Volodymyr Zelensky had already appointed Khmara as acting defense minister on July 16, following the removal of Mykhailo Fedorov from the post. The parliament's defense committee unanimously approved Khmara on the morning of August 19.

In the final vote, 312 lawmakers confirmed Khmara's appointment, surpassing the required 226 votes. This decision effectively rules out any possibility of Fedorov returning to the defense minister position, as he had previously demanded. Protesters had been demanding the reinstatement of Fedorov, with demonstrators gathering in front of parliament, but the vote has silenced their main demand.

Khmara, an SBU veteran, previously commanded the agency's Alpha Special Operations Center, oversaw Ukraine's long-range drone strikes against Russia, and led the operation to liberate Snake Island in 2022. He was appointed as acting head of the SBU in January 2026 after the departure of Vasyl Maliuk. Zelensky highlighted Khmara's extensive experience in technological strike operations, emphasizing Ukraine's need to focus on developing long-range capabilities, an area that Fedorov pushed during his tenure. The implications of Khmara's appointment for the pro-Fedorov protest movement remain uncertain.