Prime Minister confirms government reshuffle to be implemented next week

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on March 18 the dismissal of two ministers and named their replacements set to take office next week.

Shmyhal said in a Telegram post that Education Minister Serhiy Shkarlet would be replaced by Oksen Lisovyi, who currently works as a director of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, a governmental institution focused on education for middle and high school-aged children.

Media reports about scandal-ridden Shkarlet's walkout from the cabinet emerged on March 17, with Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda reporting that the minister was expected to resign that day.

He was marred by scandal even before the full-scale invasion after students from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy protested in February 2022, calling for his resignation. They accused him of sabotaging the election of the university's president.

The prime minister did not disclose the reasons for Shkarlet's soon-to-be official dismissal. 

Shmyhal also said that Pavlo Riabikin, the minister for strategic industries, would be replaced by the former CEO of Ukraine's state-run railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia, Oleksandr Kamyshin.

Kamyshin, who has gained popularity after Ukrzaliznytsia became a lifeline for the country amid war, announced his resignation from the executive position on Feb. 27.

Shmyhal did not indicate an exact date when the government reshuffle will take place.