Ukrainian parliament appoints new Prime Minister Zelensky an

Beijing, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Kiev: On the 16th local time, the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine appointed Sergei Koretsky as the country's new Prime Minister. On the same day, demonstrations erupted in several cities, including the Ukrainian capital Kiev, protesting against President Zelensky's dismissal of Defense Minister Fyodorov.

According to the Ukrainian state news agency, 289 members of parliament voted on the same day to support Zelensky's nomination of Koletsky as prime minister, replacing the resigned Sviridenko.

Koretsky, 48 years old, was born in Lutsk and has extensive experience in the oil and gas industry. He has been serving as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ukraine's National Oil and Gas Company since May 2025.

Zelensky stated on the 12th that in order to ensure the implementation of the new political strategy, he decided to restructure the cabinet and discussed the details of the cabinet adjustment with Svirichenko. On the 13th, Svirichenko submitted his resignation to the Ulva Rada.

According to reports from Ukraine's Kiev Independent and Euronews, Fyodorov confirmed on the 15th that he was dismissed from his position during Zelensky's cabinet reshuffle. Protests erupted in several Ukrainian cities, including Kiev, on the 16th, demanding that the Verkhovna Rada reappoint Fyodorov as Minister of Defense.

According to reports, protesters outside the Ukrainian President's office shouted "reappointment", waved Ukrainian flags, and criticized the decision to dismiss Fyodorov from office.

According to the Associated Press, demonstrations were also held in other cities in Ukraine, including Dnipro and Odessa.

According to Zelensky's statement on the 16th cited by the Ukrainian State News Agency, the reason for the dismissal of Fyodorov was the lack of effective communication between the Ministry of Defense and the military leadership. (End)