The minister of defence of Ukraine () is the head of the Ministry of Defence, which is in charge of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the second-largest military power in Europe after its Russian counterpart. The Minister of Defence is appointed by the president, but this has to be confirmed by a majority vote in the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of Ukraine. From 1 January 2019, Ukraine has had civilian control of the military by requiring that the Minister of Defence be a civilian, although they may have recently resigned from the military.Poltorak quits military service, continues to lead Defense ministry as civilian – Poroshenko, UNIAN (13 October 2018)Poltorak quits military service to continue leading Ukrainian Defense Ministry as civilian, Interfax-Ukraine (13 October 2018)
Since Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there have been 20 defence ministers (not including acting ones).
List of ministers of defence Ministers Portrait Name Term of office Political party Cabinet(s) President(s) Took office Left office Time in office 1 Colonel general Kostyantyn Morozov 3 September 1991 30 September 1993 Independent FokinSymonenkoKuchmaZvyahilsky Leonid Kravchuk Verkhovna Rada Resolution No. 1473-XII "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 540/1992 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 418/1993 "Regarding acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine" – Colonel generalIvan Bizhan 4 October 1993 8 October 1993 Independent Zvyahilsky Leonid Kravchuk 2 General of the ArmyVitaliy Radetskyi 8 October 1993 25 August 1994 Independent ZvyahilskyMasol II Leonid KravchukLeonid Kuchma Order of President of Ukraine No. 434/1993 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 567/1993 "Regarding promotion of V. Radetskyi" Order of President of Ukraine No. 477/1994 "Regarding acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine" – Valeriy Shmarov 25 August 1994 10 October 1994 Independent ZvyahilskyMarchuk Leonid Kuchma Order of President of Ukraine No. 579/1994 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" 3 10 October 1994 8 July 1996 MarchukLazarenko I Order of President of Ukraine No. 533/1995 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 520/1996 "Dismissal of V. Shmarov from Minister of Defence of Ukraine" 4 General of the ArmyOleksandr Kuzmuk 11 July 1996 24 October 2001 Party of Regions Lazarenko IIDurdynetsPustovoitenkoYushchenkoKinakh Leonid Kuchma Order of President of Ukraine No. 528/1996 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 697/1997 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 1652/1999 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 370/2001 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 359/2001 "Dismissal of O. Kuzmuk from Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 1012/2001 "Dismissal of O. Kuzmuk from Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 1162/1996 "Regarding promotion of O. Kuzmuk" Order of President of Ukraine No. 922/1998 "Regarding promotion of O. Kuzmuk" 5 General of the ArmyVolodymyr Shkidchenko 12 November 2001 25 June 2003 Independent KinakhYanukovych I Leonid Kuchma Order of President of Ukraine No. 1070/2001 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 1102/2002 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" 6 General of the Army Yevhen Marchuk 25 June 2003 23 September 2004 Social Democratic Union Yanukovych I Leonid Kuchma Order of President of Ukraine No. 550/2003 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 1114/2004 "Dismissal of Y. Marchuk from Minister of Defence of Ukraine" (4) General of the ArmyOleksandr Kuzmuk 24 September 2004 3 February 2005 Party of Regions Yanukovych I Leonid KuchmaViktor Yushchenko Order of President of Ukraine No. 1115/2004 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 133/2005 "Dismissal of O. Kuzmuk from Minister of Defence of Ukraine" 7 Anatoliy Hrytsenko 4 February 2005 18 December 2007 Our Ukraine Tymoshenko IYekhanurov Yanukovych II Viktor Yushchenko Order of President of Ukraine No. 154/2005 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" Order of President of Ukraine No. 1399/2005 "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" 8 Yuriy Yekhanurov 18 December 2007 5 June 2009 Revival Tymoshenko II Viktor Yushchenko Verkhovna Rada Resolution No. 10-VI "Regarding forming of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine" Verkhovna Rada Resolution No. 1477-VI "Dismissal of Y. Yekhanurov from Minister of Defence of Ukraine" – Valeriy Ivashchenko 5 June 2009 11 March 2010 Independent Tymoshenko II Viktor YushchenkoViktor Yanukovych 9 Admiral Mykhailo Yezhel 11 March 2010 8 February 2012 Independent Tymoshenko II Viktor Yanukovych Verkhovna Rada Resolution No. 1970-VI "Regarding Minister of Defence of Ukraine" 10 Dmytro Salamatin 8 February 2012 24 December 2012 Party of Regions Azarov I Viktor Yanukovych Yanukovych replaces defense minister, Kyiv Post (8 February 2012) 11 Pavlo Lebedyev 24 December 2012 27 February 2014 Party of Regions Azarov II Viktor YanukovychOleksandr Turchynov President of Ukraine has appointed new staff of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, UNIAN (24 December 2012) – Colonel generalVolodymyr Zamana 22 February 2014 27 February 2014 Independent Oleksandr Turchynov – AdmiralIhor Tenyukh 27 February 2014 25 March 2014 Svoboda Yatsenyuk I Oleksandr Turchynov – Colonel generalMykhailo Koval 25 March 2014 3 July 2014 Independent Yatsenyuk I Oleksandr TurchynovPetro Poroshenko 12 Colonel generalValeriy Heletey 3 July 2014 14 October 2014 Independent Yatsenyuk I Petro Poroshenko Ukraine's new defence minister promises Crimea victory, BBC News (3 July 2014)Heletei appointed Ukrainian defense minister, Interfax-Ukraine (3 July 2014) 13 General of the ArmyStepan Poltorak 14 October 2014 29 August 2019 Independent Yatsenyuk IYatsenyuk IIGroysman Petro PoroshenkoVolodymyr Zelenskyy 14 Andrii Zahorodniuk 29 August 2019 4 March 2020 Independent Honcharuk Volodymyr Zelenskyy 15 Lieutenant general Andriy Taran 4 March 2020 3 November 2021 Independent Shmyhal Volodymyr Zelenskyy Ukrainian lawmakers appoint Andriy Taran as new defense minister, by UNIANVerkhovna Rada dismisses Defense Minister Andriy Taran, Ukrinform (3 November 2021) 16 Oleksii Reznikov 4 November 2021 5 September 2023 Independent Shmyhal Volodymyr Zelenskyy Ukrainian Lawmakers Approve Reznikov As New Defense Minister, Radio Free Europe (4 November 2021) 17 Rustem Umerov 6 September 2023 17 July 2025 Holos Shmyhal Volodymyr Zelenskyy 18 Denys Shmyhal 17 July 2025 13 January 2026 Independent Svyrydenko Volodymyr Zelenskyy 19 Mykhailo Fedorov 14 January 2026 15 July 2026 Independent Svyrydenko Volodymyr Zelenskyy – Major GeneralYevhenii Khmara 16 July 2026 19 August 2026 Independent Koretskyi Volodymyr Zelenskyy 20 19 August 2026 Incumbent The current Minister of Defense is Yevhenii Khmara, officially since 19 August 2026 and acting since 16 July 2026. The longest-serving Minister of Defense is Oleksandr Kuzmuk who served for five years, a total of 2,063 days.
The longest serving as an acting Minister of Defense is Valeriy Ivashchenko who served for a total 279 days (over 9 months).
First deputy ministers Created on 27 May 1992, the office of deputy ministers was expanded on 4 June 1992 with the chief of the General Staff holding the post until 8 February 2002. Since 10 September 2003, the post was "demilitarized", held only by civilian or retired military personnel. The first deputy serves as an acting minister in absence of officially appointed minister unless specified otherwise.
27 May 1992 – 24 March 1993 Lieutenant General Ivan Bizhan (since 24 December 1991 a deputy minister; Chief of the General Staff since 25 September 1992) 4 June 1992 – 25 September 1992 Lieutenant General Vasyl Sobkov (Chief of the General Staff) 24 March 1993 – 10 February 1996 Colonel General Anatoliy Lopata (Chief of the General Staff) 12 March 1996 – 30 September 1998 Lieutenant General Oleksandr Zatynaiko (Chief of the General Staff) 14 March 1996 – 8 February 2002 Colonel General Ivan Bizhan 30 September 1998 – 13 November 2001 Colonel General Volodymyr Shkidchenko (Chief of the General Staff) 27 November 2001 – 8 February 2002 Colonel General Petro Shkulyak (Chief of the General Staff) In 2002 – 2003 all deputies were replaced (phased away) by newly created posts of state secretaries, but after the reform was reverted. 25 January 2002 – 10 September 2003 Oleksandr Oliynyk 5 February 2002 – 14 August 2003 Colonel General Viktor Bannykh (on issues of international cooperation) (died in office) 10 September 2003 – ? November 2004 Oleksandr Oliynyk 13 September 2003 – 7 October 2004 Valentyna Hoshovska (humanitarian policy and relations with parliament) 5 October 2004 – 10 February 2005 Dmytro Rudkovskyi (governor of the office of Ministry of Defence) 6 October 2004 – 25 February 2005 Oleksandr Stetsenko 26 October 2004 – 25 February 2005 Volodymyr Bilyi (humanitarian policy and relations with parliament) 19 February 2005 – 23 January 2008 Leonid Polyakov 5 June 2009 – 26 May 2010 Valeriy Ivashchenko 31 March 2010 – 2 June 2010 Hryhoriy Pedchenko 18 August 2010 – 18 February 2012 Volodymyr Mozharovsky 18 February 2012 – 5 March 2014 Oleksandr Oliynyk 15 September 2014 – 14 February 2023 Ivan Rusnak 14 February 2023 – 10 February 2024 Oleksandr Pavliuk
Earlier military ministers and secretaries Historically, the ministry was preceding by various other governmental institutions. The very first Ukrainian representative in military affairs was Symon Petlyura, appointed by Volodymyr Vynnychenko to General Secretariat of Ukraine in the summer of 1917. Later in December 1917 after establishing the Bolshevik government in Kharkiv the Military Secretary of Ukraine was opposed by the Military Secretary of Soviet Ukraine whom the first was Vasyl Shakhrai. Note that the first ministers of Ukraine were not specialists in military affairs, particularly such as Mykola Porsh.
The Ukrainian People's Army was in terrible condition and it was not until the power in the country was taken over by the former head of the Russian Imperial Retinue and hereditary Ukrainian Cossack Pavlo Skoropadsky, under leadership of which the new minister became Aleksandr Rogoza (also known as Oleksandr Rohoza). Rogoza was instrumental in restructuring the ministry and recruiting numerous former Russian Imperial generals who pledged their allegiance to the government of Ukraine. By the end of 1918 Bolsheviks recreated the Ukrainian Soviet government and to its office of military affairs was appointed Nikolai Podvoisky, former narkom of Military Affairs of Soviet Russia who played a key role in the October Revolution. Around that time there was created the government of the West Ukrainian People's Republic, the office of military affairs of which was headed by Dmytro Vitovsky who was a specialist in special operations, particularly the mountain warfare. Vitovsky played a key role in securing the city of Lviv and ensuring the proclamation of independence of the new Ukrainian state from the disintegrating Austro-Hungary.
National ministers