Ukrainian Prime Minister steps down as Zelenskyy announces government reshuffle
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday (July 12, 2026) as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced fresh changes to Ukraine's government. In a statement
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday (July 12, 2026) as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced fresh changes to Ukraine's government. In a statement on social media, Ms. Svyrydenko said she was “proud to have had the honour 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 Mr. Zelenskyy, but did not provide 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. Svyrydenko, Ukraine's former Economy Minister, was named Prime Minister in July 2025 at the age of 39 after playing a lead role in securing a mineral agreement between Ukraine and the U.S., seen as an important way of tying U.S. interests to Ukraine's security.
Zelenskyy announced her resignation in a post saying that Ukraine was “changing its political strategy.” He also said he had offered Ms. Svyrydenko the opportunity to lead “a new, important area” in Ukraine's relations with a key international partner. Also Read | Bad for both: On the Russia-Ukraine conflict “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,” Mr. Zelenskyy said, describing the impending reshuffle. The Ukrainian leader also said there would be changes among the top ranks of Ukraine's law enforcement agencies. Ukraine continues strikes against Russian oil sites Elsewhere, a Ukrainian attack in southwest Russia killed one person and wounded three more, local officials said Sunday, as Kyiv's forces continued to bombard Russia's oil facilities.
The head of Russia's Samara region, Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said that a child was among the injured. He also said that residential homes and apartment buildings were damaged in the strike, as well as an unspecified “industrial site.” Russian media outlets reported that the attack's target was the region's Syzran Oil Refinery, with many sharing images that appeared to show plumes of black smoke rising over the site. The refinery, which is owned by oil and gas giant Rosneft and sits some 800 kilometres (500 miles) east of the border, has been a repeated target for Kyiv's forces. Meanwhile, the governor of Russia's Rostov region, Yuri Slyusar, said that a tanker had been damaged in a drone attack in the Azov-Black Sea maritime canal. The tanker was empty, and there is no threat of an oil spill, Slyusar said.
The BriefWire