Ukrainian MPs unexpectedly rejected Denys Shmyhal's nomination as energy minister, with the vote falling short of the 226 required. The energy portfolio has been vacant for nearly two months amid corruption probes and intensified Russian winter attacks that left millions without power. About two dozen lawmakers from Zelenskiy's party did not vote, highlighting internal discipline problems. Parliament plans to reconvene Wednesday to try again to confirm Shmyhal and Mykhailo Fedorov.
Ukrainian Parliament Rejects Zelenskiy’s Pick for Energy Minister in Rare Wartime Rebuke
Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal stands on the day of a meeting under the European defence and foreign ministers format in Brussels, Belgium, December 1, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
KYIV — Ukrainian lawmakers on Jan. 13 declined to confirm outgoing defence chief Denys Shmyhal as energy minister, dealing an unexpected political setback to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as he seeks to reorganize key ministries amid ongoing war pressure.
Shmyhal, who served as Ukraine's prime minister for five years before being moved to the defence ministry last year, had been nominated to lead an energy sector strained by corruption allegations and recurrent Russian strikes on critical infrastructure. The previous permanent energy minister was dismissed late last year amid a corruption probe that also touched her predecessor, and the post had been vacant for nearly two months as Moscow stepped up cold-weather attacks that left millions without power and heating.
Vote Details And Political Fallout
The nomination failed to secure the 226 votes required for confirmation: 210 deputies voted in favour, while three opposition parties abstained and roughly two dozen members of Zelenskiy's ruling party did not cast ballots. Kyiv-based analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said the result signals weakening discipline within the president's parliamentary ranks and represents a rare rebuke of executive authority during wartime.
Turmoil In The Ruling Party
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's legislature largely acted as a cooperative body to keep the wartime government functioning. The failed vote suggests growing strains within the ruling faction as leaders attempt a broad government reshuffle ahead of the fourth anniversary of the invasion.
Shortage Of Experienced Managers
Critics argued that reshuffling senior officials during wartime risks destabilising leadership. Some opposition MPs singled out Shmyhal, saying his long tenure as prime minister had not delivered a successful long-term fix for the energy sector. Solomiia Bobrovska of the liberal Holos party, which abstained, warned against repeatedly recycling the same leaders into multiple top posts during a crisis.
"You can't replace absolutely all positions with the same person when the situation is at a boiling point," said Solomiia Bobrovska.
What Happens Next
Parliament is scheduled to reconvene on Wednesday to attempt again to confirm both Shmyhal and Mykhailo Fedorov, the digital minister who had been expected to be named defence minister. Both men had been dismissed from their current posts by the legislature in advance of what many expected to be routine confirmation votes.
The episode underscores both the operational strains on Ukraine's vital public services during a wartime emergency and the political frictions within the governing camp as leaders try to balance stability, reform and public accountability.
Help us improve.
