Ukraine's prime minister steps down; Zelenskiy's critics see little point

Highlights:

• Appointment of successor expected on Thursday
• Zelenskiy announces Ukraine's new political strategy
• Cabinet reshuffle not explained, lawmakers say
• New PM to prepare country for winter under Russian strikes

Ukraine's parliament accepted the resignation on Tuesday of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko after just a year in office, despite complaints from lawmakers that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had failed to explain the point of his ‌reshuffle.

The motion to accept the 40-year-old economist's resignation passed in parliament, but with Zelenskiy yet to name a successor lawmakers said it was hard to see what he aimed to achieve.

"Every day this year demanded difficult decisions and decisive action. I am deeply grateful for the trust and support I received. You also know that I have always believed results matter most," Svyrydenko said in her farewell speech.

Addressing the parliament dressed in all-white, she said preparing for winter would be the main challenge for the new government, as Russia is expected to double down on attacking Ukraine's ⁠electric grid and gas system.

Accused of failing to clean house

"No one can even explain exactly why" the government was being dismissed, complained opposition lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko. Another, Kira Rudik, said she had little hope the new government would operate much differently from the last one.

Svyrydenko's year in office coincided with a major corruption scandal involving senior figures. Although she was not implicated, critics accused her of failing to take sufficiently decisive action to clean house.

Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a lawmaker from the opposition Holos party, mocked the outgoing government's record: "We were promised results every day. The government has kept that promise: presentations every day, conferences every day, and every day we had a new suspect in a corruption case."

Lawmakers identified Serhiy Koretskyi, the head of state oil and gas firm Naftogaz, as a likely successor. Parliament is expected to vote for the appointment on Thursday.

Zelenskiy met with Koretskyi and Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after announcing the shakeup. Replacing ‌Fedorov would ⁠be seen as a major change at a time when Kyiv has been trying to gain the upper hand in the more than four-year-old war, by emphasising long-range attacks on Russia.

'Real test' is whether Zelenskiy can delegate

The prime minister is mainly responsible for domestic policy, which has meant shepherding the wartime economy, repairing infrastructure damaged in Russian attacks and pushing for economic reforms sought by Kyiv's Western donors.

Svyrydenko's government faced a particularly brutal winter trying to keep Ukrainians warm with the energy system under relentless ⁠Russian attacks. It also navigated a challenging relationship with the US administration and opened technical consultations to join the European Union.

Overhauling the cabinet is one of the few ways for Zelenskiy to demonstrate renewal while elections are prohibited during wartime.

But Lesia Bidochko, policy fellow at the European Policy Institute in Kyiv, said such reshuffles showed the limits of ⁠a system highly centralised around the president which was useful early in the war but is increasingly obsolete.

"The real test of the reshuffle is therefore not whether Zelenskiy appoints different ministers, but whether he is prepared to delegate sufficient authority for them to govern effectively," she said.

In past reshuffles, Zelenskiy moved some ⁠of the same people through different roles. Svyrydenko's predecessor Denys Shmyhal, for example, stepped down as prime minister a year ago only to become defence minister and then energy minister.

"That may ensure political reliability, but it at the same time raises questions about institutional renewal and broadening the managerial base," Bidochko said.