Ukraine’s FM quits, Zelensky purges several ministers

Zelensky’s deputy head of office, Rostislav Shurma, was fired on Tuesday, according to a decree posted on the office’s website. No reason was given for his dismissal.

Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olga Stefanishina, Minister for Strategic Industries Aleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Justice Denis Maliuski, and Minister of Environmental Protection Ruslan Strilets were all relieved of their posts on Tuesday.

Rumors about Kuleba’s imminent departure started circulating as soon as the other changes in the cabinet were announced.

The Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper previously claimed that Kuleba’s most likely replacement will be Andrey Sibiga, a former ambassador described by the Ukrainian as both Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff and Kuleba’s own deputy. The prediction on Tuesday evening cited a source in Zelensky’s office. Prime Minister Denis Shmigal will reportedly keep his job, the outlet claimed.

The cabinet purge comes after the official expiration of both Zelensky’s presidential mandate and that of the Ukrainian parliament. The Ukrainian constitution provides only for the extension of parliamentary terms, but Zelensky has argued the martial law announced in February 2022 allows him to postpone all elections indefinitely.

Meanwhile, some sources in Kiev have told Western outlets that Zelensky’s chief of staff, movie producer Andrey Yermak, de facto runs the country. Zelensky’s office has denied this.

Rumors of Kuleba’s impending ouster have swirled since March, following the resignation of Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko, one of his proteges. The outlet Strana reported that Zelensky was acutely displeased with the diplomatic service, and was considering replacing Kuleba with his foreign policy adviser Igor Zhovkva.

Nothing came of that rumor, however, and Kuleba continued browbeating the West into giving Kiev more weapons, ammunition and cash to fight against Russia.

“If decisions are taken, Ukraine is successful on the ground. If they are not taken, then do not complain about Ukraine, complain about yourself,” Kuleba told EU foreign ministers last week, demanding “bold decisions” from the bloc. Kiev has been blaming restrictions on the use of weapons provided by the US and its allies for its deteriorating frontline fortunes.

After Brussels, Kuleba went to Poland, where he managed to offend his hosts – and a key country for supplying Ukraine with Western aid – by calling certain Polish territories “Ukrainian lands” and suggesting that the displacement of ethnic Ukrainians from Poland’s territory in 1947 was equivalent to the massacres of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists that Warsaw has described as genocidal.