On its second attempt, Verkhovna Rada appointed Shmyhal as Minister of Energy

Denys Shmyhal is the new Minister of Energy of Ukraine

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has appointed Denys Shmyhal as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine.

This was reported by Censor.NET.

The decision was supported by 248 MPs.

What preceded this?

On 13 January, the Verkhovna Rada did not have enough votes to appoint Denys Shmyhal as the new Minister of Energy.

It is known that on 14 January, the Rada appointed Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defence.

Personnel changes

Earlier, it was reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to dismiss SSU head Vasyl Maliuk and appoint him to other positions.
Sources at Censor.NET in government circles said 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, MPs and activists have spoken out in support of Maliuk.
Zelenskyy met with Maliuk and suggested that he focus on combat work in the SSU.
Maliuk later confirmed that he was stepping down as head of the SSU.
Later it became known that the head of the SSU's Special Operations Centre "A", Yevhenii Khmara, would temporarily head the Security Service of Ukraine.
On 2 January 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the head of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence, 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 Defence Forces, and diplomatic negotiations.
Budanov subsequently accepted Zelenskyy's offer and took over as head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, calling his new position another milestone of responsibility to the state at a historic time for the country.
On 2 January, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov the position of Minister of Defence of Ukraine.
The president offered Shmyhal the position of Minister of Energy.
On 13 January, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Shmyhal from the post of Minister of Defence.