Ukraine's parliament voted 312-2 to confirm Yevhen Khmara as defense minister, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak reported. Khmara previously led the Alpha special forces unit of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and had served as acting head of the SBU since January.
The Verkhovna Rada also confirmed Andrii Sybiha as foreign minister with 266 votes in favor.
President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked lawmakers for backing both candidates, saying their tasks were clearly defined: "Ukraine needs great strength."
Zelensky submitted Khmara's candidacy to parliament on August 18. In mid-July, the entire government was dismissed, including Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, triggering mass protests that have continued for over a month. On the eve of the vote, the former minister published an address calling for a "legal, safe and realistic mechanism" to hold elections in Ukraine despite the war.
Under Ukrainian law, only a civilian can head the Defense Ministry, so Khmara resigned from military service. According to the BBC, lawmakers also considered passing a law allowing military personnel to lead the ministry during martial law but abandoned the idea.
Khmara holds the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the Order for Courage III degree, and the presidential award Cross of Military Merit. He took part in the liberation of the Kyiv region and battles for Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Under his leadership, the Alpha unit was responsible for long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries and Operation Pavutyna, in which FPV drones disguised in trucks simultaneously attacked four military airfields in Russia.