New appointments in Ministry of Defence will not ensure economic approach to Ukraine’s defence capability, - "servant of people" Yanchenko

New personnel decisions in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine do not guarantee an economic approach to strengthening the country's defense capabilities. In almost four years of full-scale war, there have been no grants or even preferential loans for the defense industry.

This was stated by Halyna Yanchenko, a member of the Servant of the People party and a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, according to an article published by Censor.NET.

Appointment to the Ministry of Defense

She noted that the current personnel changes, particularly in the defense sector, do not affect the economic component.

"When we talk about any country transitioning to a "war footing," we are primarily talking about the economy. That is, priorities for the defense industry, maximum spending on defense, and so on. This year, we have made some progress: in the second half of 2025, two bills were passed. But in reality, there are still many draft laws that are simply lying in parliament and have not yet been voted on. Therefore, in my opinion, these personnel changes do not affect the economic component and are unlikely to add to this understanding. Although, in reality, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Economy could have done a lot together earlier," the MP explained.

She recalled that during almost four years of war in Ukraine, there were grant programs for all kinds of businesses, such as berry planting, but there were no grants or even preferential loans for the defense industry.

"For example, the same preferential loans for weapons production were introduced only a year ago. I do not see how new appointments in this sector will contribute to a deep economic understanding of how the country's defense capabilities should actually be developed. If I am wrong, I will be glad to be proven wrong. But I want to note once again that at least five bills have been registered in the Verkhovna Rada that could greatly help our arms manufacturers, but they have been blocked by the Ministry of Defense for a long time. We'll see if this situation changes now," Yanchenko added.

Impact on economic issues

"I would very much like the security forces, if we are talking about law enforcement agencies, to be a little less "harsh" on arms manufacturers. Because over the past six months, the Temporary Special Commission, which I chair, has received a number of appeals not only from manufacturers, but also from entire sectors that supply our army. Therefore, I would like the security forces to pay a little less attention to the economic sector and focus more on intelligence, counterintelligence, and countering the enemy. Is there any hope for this? As we know, hope dies last. So let's see how it goes," she concluded.

Read the full article on Censor.NET at this link.

What preceded it?

As previously reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to dismiss the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk and appoint him to other positions.
Sources at Censor.NET in government circles have reported that there are currently attempts to remove Maliuk from his position as head of the SSU, but this issue has not yet been resolved.
The military, members of parliament, and activists spoke out in support of Maliuk.
Zelenskyy met with Maliuk and suggested that he focus on combat operations in the SSU.
Later, Maliuk confirmed that he was stepping down as head of the SSU.
Later it became known that the head of the Special Operations Center "A" of the Security Service of Ukraine, Yevhenii Khmara, will temporarily head the Security Service of Ukraine.
On January 2, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, to head the Office of the President.The decision was motivated by the need to strengthen the state's focus on security issues, the development of the Defense Forces, and diplomatic negotiations.
Subsequently, Budanov accepted Zelenskyy's offer and became head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, calling his new position another milestone of responsibility to the state at a historic moment for the country.
On January 2, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed that Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov head the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.