Ihor Klymenko Named Ukraine’s New National Security Council Secretary After Cabinet Shake-Up

Former Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has been appointed secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), replacing Rustem Umerov, as President Volodymyr Zelensky continues a major government reshuffle. Umerov will reportedly continue to work at the NSDC, but will focus on working with Ukraine’s international partners.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Klymenko, who had led Ukraine’s Interior Ministry since February 2023, takes over the key security post after a period of sweeping personnel changes in Kyiv. From Interior Ministry to Security Council Klymenko became interior minister following the death of his predecessor Denys Monastyrsky in a helicopter crash in January 2023. Before that, Klymenko served as head of Ukraine’s National Police, where he’d served since 2019. Klymenko’s position as interior minister had come under scrutiny in April, after a terrorist attack in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district. Lawmakers registered a draft resolution seeking his dismissal when video circulated showing two police officers fleeing the scene of the attack. The proposal, however, failed to win support from the relevant parliamentary committee. Defense Ministry shake-up sparks protests Zelensky’s reshuffle began on July 12, when the president announced plans to “renew” the Cabinet. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko resigned the same day, citing the need for a government reset following talks with the president. Two days later, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, dismissed Svyrydenko and the entire Cabinet. Other Topics of Interest Drone Falls Near ‘Putin’s Palace’ in Russia, Killing Four People Four people, including a child, were killed after a drone fell on a crowded beach near Gelendzhik, reportedly following an interception by a Russian mobile fire group. On July 15, after the entire Cabinet dismissal, reports began to surface that Fedorov was leaving his post as defense minister after about six months in office. Zelensky and Fedorov himself later confirmed that it stemmed from disputes with Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. A day later, on July 16, Fedorov accused Syrsky and the military top brass of sowing divisions and blocking reform initiatives at a surprise press briefing, though Syrsky has been relatively quiet and, in his response, thanked Fedorov for his work and said he wished he would remain on the team. Fedorov has been seen as a major reform figure and as someone helping to remove the Soviet bureaucracy, and his dismissal led to nationwide protests calling for his reinstatement. On July 16, the Verkhovna Rada approved former Naftogaz Chairman Serhiy Koretsky as the new prime minister, and hours later approved his cabinet proposals, leaving only the foreign and defense minister posts undecided, as they were to be voted on separately. Zelensky appointed Khmara as the acting defense minister and suggested that he would also propose Khmara as the official minister to the Verkhovna Rada.On July 21, Zelensky dismissed Syrsky as AFU commander-in-chief and appointed 43-year-old Mykhailo Drapaty as his replacement. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.