People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak stated that President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to assign SBU head Yevhen Khmara to perform the duties of the Minister of Defense raises legal questions. In his opinion, this procedure does not comply with current legislation, and appointing a military officer to this position requires separate legal regulation.
Zheleznyak explained why he sees legal issues in the appointment
According to the people's deputy, the president can only submit a candidate for Minister of Defense to the Verkhovna Rada, but does not have the authority to assign the performance of ministerial duties independently.
Zheleznyak noted that the decision to appoint an acting Minister belongs to the competence of the Cabinet of Ministers.
The deputy also pointed out the status of Yevhen Khmara as an active serviceman. He emphasized that during martial law, the law stipulates that the Minister of Defense and his deputies must be civilians.
In Zheleznyak's opinion, this is why the question arises as to how legal procedures necessary for a possible appointment can be implemented.
Zheleznyak linked personnel decisions to the political situation
In his video, the deputy also suggested that personnel changes were a reaction of the authorities to public resonance and protests.
At the same time, he expressed the opinion that the possible transfer of the head of the SBU opens the way for the appointment of the first deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Poklad as head of the agency.
Separately, Zheleznyak stated that, in his opinion, the authorities may be more inclined to make controversial decisions after recent political events, as they do not consider public protest to be a sufficient restraining factor.
The deputy also suggested that this could lead to new political conflicts in the future, particularly around anti-corruption bodies. All the assessments provided are his personal position, voiced in a video address.
Earlier, Zheleznyak announced a crackdown on corrupt officials due to EU requirements and 90 billion euros.