Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to propose Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko as Ukraine's new defence minister, several lawmakers said on Wednesday .
Lawmaker Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk from Zelenskyy's ruling party said that Klymenko, who has been interior minister since 2023, would be proposed for the post of defence minister.
Zelenskyy met with his party ahead of a parliamentary vote on the government changes on Thursday.
It was not immediately clear whether the current defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, would get another government job, who during his six-month tenure as defense minister has led an ambitious campaign to transform Ukraine's outmanned army into a more efficient fighting force.
Some Ukrainian lawmakers and commentators expressed dismay Wednesday at the departure of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov saying it would hurt Ukraine's war effort just as it was hitting Russia's oil industry and slowing the frontline advances of Moscow's forces.
Fedorov, writing on Telegram, said it had been a "great honor" to serve Ukraine and compiled two sets of objectives - those already achieved, including investments in drones and a revamp of procurements.
