Reorganization of Ukraine’s Cabinet: Major Structural Changes and Personnel Appointments
The Ukrainian government, during its morning session on July 21, undertook sweeping reforms within the executive branch, leading to significant structural reorganization and personnel shifts.
One of the central decisions was the consolidation of ministries and the overhauling of the cabinet’s composition.
Notably, the Ministry of Social Policy was renamed and transformed into the Ministry of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine, incorporating the Ministry of National Unity.
This combined entity will oversee the reintegration of temporarily occupied territories, manage a dedicated budget exceeding 83 million Hryvnias, and control all relevant programs from the abolished ministry.
Similarly, the Ministry of Economy has been renamed to the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine, following the dissolution of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, as well as the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.
The responsibilities of these eliminated ministries are now assigned to the newly renamed Ministry of Economy, consolidating key strategic sectors under one roof.
Special commissions will oversee the liquidation process.
Furthermore, the restructuring included the abolition of the Ministry of Strategic Industries, with its functions transferred to the Ministry of Defense, which now bears the primary responsibility for shaping and executing state policies on national security, defense, military infrastructure, both in peacetime and during special periods.
Alongside these structural reforms, personnel changes were implemented: the government dismissed Yuriy Sheyk from the position of First Deputy Minister of Energy, Mykola Kucherivanka from First Deputy Minister of Justice, Svitlana Tershenko from her deputy role within the same ministry, Oleksandr Yarema from his post as State Secretary, and Konstantyn Mar’ievich from his deputy post.
Instead, appointments were made, including Mar’ievich as the new State Secretary of the Cabinet and Yarema as First Deputy Secretary.
Experts warn that merging several ministries might not be the best approach, as it risks undermining policies in critical sectors such as agriculture and ecology, which historical experience has shown to be vulnerable during reorganizations.