Verkhovna Rada

The Verkhovna Rada failed to appoint Denys Shmyhal as First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Energy, garnering only 210 votes. He had previously been dismissed from the post of Minister of Defense, and in the summer of 2024, he resigned as Prime Minister.

In Ukraine, the excise tax on fuel increased from the new year. Autogas prices rose by an average of 30 kopecks, while there were almost no changes in gasoline and diesel prices.

People's deputies are forced to work in cold premises of the Rada. Deputy head of the Verkhovna Rada committee Oksana Dmytrieva confirmed the low temperature during meetings.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko submitted a proposal to the Verkhovna Rada to appoint Dmytro Natalukha as head of the State Property Fund. The vote is expected today after the meeting of the Committee on Economic Policy.

The Verkhovna Rada supported the motion to dismiss Vasyl Malyuk from the post of head of the Security Service of Ukraine. 235 deputies voted for the dismissal.

The Verkhovna Rada supported Mykhailo Fedorov's resignation as Minister of Digital Transformation. 270 people's deputies voted for this.

The head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation noted that over five years, digital services have saved citizens and the state 184 billion hryvnias.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported the dismissal of Denys Shmyhal from the post of Minister of Defense. 265 people's deputies voted for this decision.

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security supported the president's decrees on extending martial law and mobilization for 90 days. This will be the 18th vote of the Rada on these issues, and the extension will be valid until May 4, 2026.

The Verkhovna Rada is not planning to appoint Denys Maslov as the head of the Ministry of Justice. The official reason is the lack of a replacement for the position of committee head.

On January 13, the Verkhovna Rada will consider only personnel issues, without voting on draft laws. Committees supported Fedorov's resignation and Shmyhal's dismissal, but did not support Maliuk's dismissal.

Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko reacted to the life imprisonment of a 56-year-old rapist who committed crimes against 10 girls in Odesa. He emphasized the severity of punishment as the only way to protect children.

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Digital Transformation supported Mykhailo Fedorov's resignation from the post of First Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation. Earlier, Zelenskyy offered Fedorov to head the Ministry of Defense.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence supported the dismissal of Denys Shmyhal from the post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine. 8 committee members voted in favor, 6 against.

The Verkhovna Rada is preparing a draft law that may restrict the right to deferment from mobilization for men aged 25+ due to studies. The number of such students has increased to 250,000, and inspections have revealed almost 50,000 fictitious students.

The President's Office named Denys Maslov as a candidate for the post of Minister of Justice. Iryna Mudra will remain working in the OP, focusing on coordinating justice and legal issues.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects the Verkhovna Rada to support the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as Ukraine's Minister of Defense next week. He also noted that there is an action plan for the defense and diplomacy sectors.

Dmytro Lubinets reacted to cases of physical and psychological abuse of over 500 Ukrainian children in Turkey. The discovered facts have been sent to the Prime Minister and authorities for immediate action.

Mykhailo Fedorov filed a declaration as a candidate for the post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine, indicating an income of over 1. 3 million hryvnias. He owns an apartment in Kyiv, an Audi Q8 car, and his wife has an Audi A4 and an income of 9.2 million hryvnias.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk announced the receipt of resignation letters from Mykhailo Fedorov and Denys Shmyhal. Fedorov held the position of First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine — Minister of Digital Transformation, and Shmyhal — Minister of Defense.

People's Deputy Yaroslav Zhelezniak reported that one of the Verkhovna Rada committees has no heating or water after the Russian attack. Electricity is currently available.

The Central Election Commission has developed proposals for holding elections after the termination of martial law in Ukraine. They primarily propose holding presidential elections six months after the lifting of martial law.

The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine has handed over St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv to the Roman Catholic community for use for 50 years. This decision will allow masses to be held and investments to be made in the restoration of the church.

The Verkhovna Rada may replace a number of ministers, including the heads of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, during the next plenary week, which begins on January 13. The appointment of the head of the State Property Fund and the transfer of Rustem Umerov to the position of Presidential Security Advisor are also expected.

Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko believes that the personnel changes initiated by President Zelenskyy are aimed at renewing power, strengthening the defense sector, and demonstrating his key role. The appointments of Budanov and Fedorov are aimed at forming a new defense strategy and technologizing production.

The law expands the list of bodies maintaining the Unified State Register of Conscripts, Persons Liable for Military Service, and Reservists. This will allow the recruitment centers of the Armed Forces to more effectively recruit for military service under contract.

Ukraine handed over lists of Ukrainian prisoners of war and missing persons to the Chief Ombudsman of Turkey, Mehmet Akarca. This was done for verification and repatriation, including the seriously ill and civilians.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed to prepare and promptly submit proposals for updating the State Bureau of Investigation to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration. The bill is expected in January.

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) applied preventive measures in the form of bail to 5 People's Deputies of Ukraine, suspected of systematically receiving undue benefits. The court set bail for two suspects at UAH 40 million and UAH 30 million, for two others at UAH 20 million each, and for the fifth deputy at UAH 16.6 million.

The State Tax Service of Ukraine announced the postponement of the deadlines for mandatory cashless payments for sole proprietors of the first group and some other merchants. The obligation will arise three months after the end of martial law.