Zelensky replaces Shmyhal with Svyrydenko: will the Cabinet work in a new way and what does Yermak have to do with it?
16 July 13:56
On July 14, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed that First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko head the new government. However, in political circles and the media, this personnel decision is perceived not just as a change in the head of the Cabinet of Ministers, but as an element of deeper processes involving an influential figure in the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak. Why did Zelenskyy initiate a government renewal right now? What priorities does Yulia Svyrydenko see in this? Why does Yermak himself, who has considerable influence, not officially claim to head the Cabinet of Ministers – "Komersant Ukrainian" has analyzed.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects Yulia Svyrydenko to “significantly update” the Cabinet and present an action program in the near future.
“[…] we are starting the transformation of the executive branch in Ukraine. I have offered Yulia Svyrydenko to head the Government of Ukraine and significantly update its work. I look forward to presenting the action program of the new government in the near future,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said
On her Facebook page, Svyrydenko emphasized Zelenskyy’s priorities: strengthening economic potential, expanding social programs, and scaling up domestic arms production. Among the tools are large-scale deregulation, elimination of bureaucracy, and concentration of resources for defense and reconstruction.
“Ukrainian society must receive clearer tools of social support. Every Ukrainian soldier and every Ukrainian veteran deserves concrete and tangible state respect and gratitude. The decision on the appointment of the Prime Minister of Ukraine is made by the Verkhovna Rada,” said Yulia Svyrydenko.
What MPs say
MP from the Servant of the People faction Mariana Bezuhla sharply criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s intention to nominate Yulia Svyrydenko for the post of Prime Minister. In a post on social media, she questioned both the constitutional procedure itself and the true political motives behind such a move.
Bezuhla also publicly accused the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, of evading responsibility.
“The President said he would nominate Yulia for prime minister. In fact, it is not the President who proposes it, according to the Constitution, it is the Parliament that does it. So, everyone is used to it,” the MP wrote on her Telegram channel.
Bezuhla said that many people considered Andriy Yermak to be a real contender for the post of prime minister. However, according to her, the head of the OP allegedly “got scared” of open political struggle and public responsibility.
“Yermak was still afraid to take a position that would institutionalize him and hid behind a woman. Yes. The development we deserve,” Bezuhla noted.
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak (Holos) only clarified that after the Rada agrees with the new prime minister, at least four ministers will be dismissed, including the ministers of education, social policy, strategic industry and defense.
Why won’t Yermak head the Cabinet?
Political analysts are skeptical of this scenario. In particular, Volodymyr Fesenko believes that such a reshuffle is unlikely due to the very architecture of the Ukrainian political system. According to him, the Office of the President is now actually performing the functions of a “parallel government,” though with a political rather than an executive mandate.
“Within this system, it makes no sense for Andriy Yermak to change his real power for a status that is “lower”. In fact, in the current system, the most influential person is the president, and the second person is the head of the Presidential Office. Andriy Yermak has power and influence when he is next to the president, because Yermak is the “main button” in the “state control panel” in Zelensky’s hands,” Fesenko emphasized.
“This personnel reset is an attempt to meet the expectations of Bankova Street, demonstrate determination and at the same time maintain control.
yermak’s “shadowy hand” behind possible personnel changes in the government
The head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, may be behind a series of possible personnel changes in the Ukrainian government in the near future. This is stated in the article of the British edition of The Economist under the heading “Political squabbles in Ukraine are getting fierce”.
According to the journalists, Yermak plays a key role in attempts to remove a number of high-ranking officials and promote loyalists. In particular, they mention the case against Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov and the possible appointment of Yulia Svyrydenko as prime minister instead of Denys Shmyhal.
“There is no direct evidence that Yermak ordered the investigation of Chernyshov’s case. However, three officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say that Yermak influenced the case by deliberately allowing it to move forward while freezing other investigations,” The Economist reports.
According to the sources, Chernyshev’s real “sin” was that he tried to become an alternative channel of communication with the Americans. His ouster, as noted, paved the way for the promotion of Yulia Svyrydenko, a politician closely associated with Yermak.
In addition to the likely replacement of the prime minister, The Economist reported on plans for personnel rotations in the ministries of education, health, culture, social policy, and possibly finance. One senior official said.
“Andriy is completing what he considers unfinished. Most people think it is his,” the source told The Economist.
So, time will tellwhether the replacement of Shmyhal with Svyrydenko is not just a personnel reshuffle, but the beginning of a deeper reformatting of the executive vertical. The real question is not who is the prime minister, but who controls the processes. And Yermak remains a key player in this game.
