Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky sparks outrage and protests after sacking popular defence minister – UK Times

President Volodymyr Zelensky moved to extinguish a political crisis sparked by his dismissal of a reformist defence minister, tapping a security official who has overseen Ukraine’s long-range strikes against Russia for the post.

In a statement, Zelensky said he was appointing Yevhenii Khmara, acting head of Ukraine’s SBU domestic security service, as acting defence minister and would ask parliament to approve him permanently for the post.

“Yevhenii Khmara has gained extensive and, in many respects, unprecedented experience with technological combat operations,” he wrote on X.

“This is exactly where our defence efforts should be focused during this war.”

Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russia’s oil infrastructure and defence industry have ​helped ⁠weaken Moscow’s war machine in recent months, boosting Ukrainian morale at a critical moment in the more than four-year war.

A brother and sister walk between the crosses at a military cemetery in Kyiv, holding a bunch of carnations. Each cross in that section reads: “unknown defender of Ukraine,” with an ID number below and a note that identification continues.

Yet there is one grave that stands out. Beneath the inscription is an attached photo showing Ihor Yalynych, a soldier last seen alive in 2022 in the Kharkiv region. After four years of searching, Stanislav and Oleksandra Yalynych found their father.

Identification of the dead is a reckoning that will stretch on for years, among the longest-lasting wounds of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Some graves may remain nameless forever, with the families left to wait.

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For the first time in years of war, the Russian regime looks as if it is on the verge of an internal split as the Kremlin’s political managers struggle to reconcile the voracious military need for money with maintaining social and economic stability. But there is extreme danger when an opponent is backed into a corner, writes Owen Matthews.

President ​Volodymyr Zelenski on Thursday appointed the acting head of Ukraine’s ⁠security service, Yevhenii Khmara, as Acting Defence Minister and asked parliament to approve ⁠him ​in the ⁠position.

Zelenskiy, posting on Telegram, said ⁠the SBU Security Service ​had ⁠distinguished itself ‌in the staging of long-range strikes on Russia ‌and that was ‌an advantage in performing the duties of defence ⁠minister.

“I have assigned Yevhenii Khmara to perform the duties of minister, continue reforming the defence sector, and ensure Ukraine ‌achieves all the ​results we have ‌spoken about,” Zelensky ⁠wrote, adding that ⁠he would ask parliament ‌to ​support his choice.

It comes after the president dismissed reformist defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, triggering rare protests on the streets of Kyiv and other cities.

Ukraine’s parliament approved top energy executive Sergii ​Koretskyi as the country’s new prime minister, the third wartime head of the government appointed in a wider reshuffle announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Koretskyi is a ‌widely respected senior energy executive with more than 20 years of experience in oil production and refining, energy retail, wholesale management, ‌and international financing.

Since May 2025, he has ‌been CEO of one of Ukraine’s biggest state companies, Naftogaz, the oil and gas giant, which runs much of Ukraine’s gas production, imports and ⁠supply.

Prior to that, he headed Ukrnafta, Ukraine’s largest oil company and a part of Naftogaz group.

Before moving to the state-owned energy companies, he headed the Western Oil Group, and served as CEO of the Continuum Group and one of the biggest filling station chains in Ukraine, WOG.

Born in Ukraine’s western ‌city of Lutsk, Koretskyi had also founded a coffee ​chain business.

The UK’s support for Ukraine “will not waver” and the prime ministerial transition will not “change that dynamic”, Sir Keir Starmer has said on his final visit to Kyiv while in office.

The outgoing Prime Minister met Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday just hours after a series of Russian strikes that killed two and injured six, including a teenager.

He also used the trip to pledge 300 million euros (£255 million) to help fund fighter jets to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences while supporting some 5,000 jobs in the UK.

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A Russian guided ⁠bomb attack on Ukraine’s ⁠southern ​city ⁠of Zaporizhzhia ⁠on ​Thursday killed ⁠at least ‌three people, the ‌local governor ‌said.

Houses and ⁠non-residential buildings were damaged, Ivan Fedorov said on the ‌Telegram ​app. ‌He ⁠posted ⁠images of ‌buildings in ​flames.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry on Thursday rejected Russian ⁠accusations over an attack that killed the chief ⁠engineer ​at the ⁠Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power ⁠plant.

“No independent ​confirmation of ⁠the ‌Russian version or evidence of Ukraine’s involvement ‌has been ‌presented, and information from Russian ⁠occupation authorities cannot be considered reliable,” the ministry said on Telegram.

It added that Russia ‌was trying ​to use ‌accusations ⁠to intimidate the ⁠international community with ‌the ​threat of ‌a nuclear incident.