Defense Ministry to receive permanent head, Zelensky preparing submission for Khmar's appointment - MPs

Acting Defense Minister Yevhen Khmar may officially take over the ministry as early as August 19. The Verkhovna Rada expects President Volodymyr Zelensky to submit his candidacy by August 18, after which parliament can proceed to a vote.

People's deputies Oleksiy Honcharenko and Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported the preparation of the personnel decision. According to Honcharenko, the submission of Khmar and acting Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha is expected today, with a vote planned for Wednesday, August 19.

Zheleznyak also said at the Conciliation Council that meetings of candidates with parliamentary factions are scheduled for August 18, and a vote on the heads of the Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry is expected the next day. However, the official presidential submission had not been published as of midday on August 18.

For appointment Khmar must be a civilian

Khmar's status remains a separate issue. He came to the Defense Ministry from the Security Service of Ukraine, while the law stipulates civilian status for the defense minister. Zheleznyak, citing his sources, asserts that for the vote Khmar must no longer be a serviceman, so changing the law specifically for his appointment is not planned.

Khmar has been temporarily heading the Defense Ministry since July. As early as July 16, Zelensky said that after completing the necessary legal procedures he would propose to the Verkhovna Rada to appoint him as full minister. Current Ukraine wrote that pending a parliamentary decision, Khmar is to perform the duties of head of the defense ministry.

The appointment comes amid protests over Fedorov

The possible vote will take place amid protests over the resignation of previous Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Participants demand his return to the post and continuation of the changes in the defense sector initiated under his leadership.

The latest large protest march took place on August 16, ahead of the Verkhovna Rada's return to plenary work. According to Suspilne, about a thousand people joined it in Kyiv. Protests were also held in Dnipro, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and other cities. The main demand remains Fedorov's return to the Defense Ministry.

The day before, Suspilne's sources in the Verkhovna Rada said that the situation around Fedorov may affect the number of votes for Khmar. According to one "Servant of the People" deputy, some parliamentarians see the upcoming vote not so much as support for Khmar, but through the attitude to his predecessor's resignation.

Based on materials from: Oleksiy Honcharenko, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Suspilne