Zelenskyy Picks Energy CEO for Premier as Kyiv Steels for Winter
(Bloomberg) -- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named the head of a state-run energy company as Ukraine’s next prime minister, underscoring his focus on preparing for the coming winter under the threat of Russian attacks.
Sergii Koretskyi, the chief executive officer of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy, is set to succeed Yuliia Svyrydenko, according to the bill submitted in parliament late on Wednesday. His nomination needs to be confirmed by lawmakers.
Zelenskyy had considered candidates with energy-sector experience for the role as he seeks to avoid the hardships of last winter, when Russian airstrikes severely crippled infrastructure, leading to disruptions in electricity, heating and water supplies during an exceptionally cold season.
The Ukrainian leader announced the shake-up on Sunday, saying it was part of a broader change in “political strategy.” In a statement, he stressed the importance of preparation for winter, as Ukraine’s power and heating infrastructure remain vulnerable to Russian ballistic-missile strikes amid low supplies of interceptors.
Parliament on Tuesday approved Svyrydenko’s departure, triggering the formal resignation of the cabinet.
Zelenskyy had also considered former Prime Minister and current Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal for the role. In a controversial decision, the president is also set to replace popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov as part of the reshuffle.
Koretskyi, 48, has extensive experience in the energy sector, which helps explain his selection for prime minister. Naftogaz is responsible for importing, producing and storing Ukraine’s natural gas. While the country has faced major disruptions to electricity supplies during every wartime winter, it has avoided gas shortages while Koretskyi has been at the helm of the state-run company.
His background also includes work with private oil companies and a stint running state-owned oil producer Ukrnafta. He has no political experience or ties to any party.
Svyrydenko, one of Zelenskyy’s staunchest public allies, had been in her role just shy of a year, earlier serving as economy minister and first deputy prime minister. She was widely seen as enjoying the backing of Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff.
Yermak stepped down late last year amid a major corruption scandal involving several people from the Ukrainian president’s inner circle.
Svyrydenko’s tenure lacked major reforms, and she instead focused on social initiatives such as a one-time payment of 1,000 hryvnia ($22) to most Ukrainians to help households cope with winter.
This is the second time Zelenskyy has replaced a prime minister and reshuffled his cabinet during the war. Last July, he asked Shmyhal to step down as prime minister.
Some opposition politicians have criticized the sudden change-up as a short-circuiting of parliamentary authority.
“We all learned at the same time through social networks that we were about to have a reset of the government,” said Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister who lost to Zelenskyy in the 2019 presidential race and is facing an investigation into alleged vote-buying. “They have made the parliament today a department of the president’s office,” she said.
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