Zelenskyy revamps Ukraine government as PM Yulia Svyrydenko resigns

Kyiv,UPDATED: Jul 12, 2026 22:28 IST

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced fresh changes to the government and said he had offered her a new and important role. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was "changing its political strategy" as he prepared what would be the fourth major government reorganisation since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Separately, officials in Russia said a Ukrainian attack in the southwest of the country killed one person and injured three others, while Russian media reported that a key oil refinery was the target. Russia's Defence Ministry also said it had attacked the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk in Ukraine's Odesa region, though Ukrainian officials had not commented on the claim.

Zelenskyy, who has remained in office under martial law because wartime elections are prohibited, has periodically reshuffled his government in an effort to bring fresh momentum to his administration. Svyrydenko, who earlier served as Ukraine's economy minister, was named prime minister in July 2025 at the age of 39 after playing a leading role in securing a minerals agreement between Ukraine and the United States, which was seen as an important way of linking US interests to Ukraine's security.

In a statement on social media, Svyrydenko said she was "proud to have had the honor of leading the government during one of the most difficult periods in Ukraine's modern history". She also said she had discussed "next steps" with Zelenskyy, but gave no further details. "I remain ready to serve the Ukrainian state and carry out every task aimed at strengthening Ukraine's position, defending our national interests and bringing a just peace closer," she said.

Announcing her resignation, Zelenskyy said he had offered Svyrydenko the chance to lead "a new, important area" in Ukraine's relations with a key international partner. "Each priority area of foreign policy will be assigned to a specific person with substantial experience who is capable of implementing what we agree on at the leaders' level and what the Ukrainian people expect," he said. He also said there would be changes in the top ranks of Ukraine's law enforcement agencies, and later met senior officials including Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

In Russia, Samara region Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said a child was among the three people injured in the attack. He said homes, apartment buildings and an unspecified "industrial site" were damaged. Russian media outlets reported that the target was the Syzran Oil Refinery, owned by Rosneft and located about 800 kilometres east of the border, and shared images that appeared to show black smoke rising above the site. The refinery has been repeatedly targeted by Kyiv's forces. In the Rostov region, Governor Yuri Slyusar said a tanker had been damaged in a drone attack in the Azov-Black Sea maritime canal, but said it was empty and there was no threat of an oil spill.

Ukraine's drone strikes on oil refineries and other infrastructure in Russia have led to fuel shortages and rationing in several regions, with motorists waiting for hours to fill their tanks. Moscow has responded by stepping up bombardment of Kyiv and other cities, exposing Ukraine's vulnerability to ballistic missile strikes. Zelenskyy has described the attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure as part of Kyiv's campaign of "long-range sanctions" in response to Moscow's refusal to halt its four-year invasion. Taken together, Sunday's developments pointed to both a fresh political reshuffle in Kyiv and continuing attacks by both sides on infrastructure linked to the war.

With PTI Inputs

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