Ukrainian MPs Clash as Opposition Escalates Efforts to Overhaul Cabinet
The disruption marks the second consecutive day of such action and was spearheaded by the faction of former President Pyotr Poroshenko. He, alongside opposition leader Yulia Timoshenko, delayed a vote to remove two ministers implicated in a broad corruption probe, insisting that Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko first present a report to parliament.
Later in the session, MPs approved the dismissal of Justice Minister German Galushchenko, a former energy minister, and his successor Svetlana Grinchuk. Both have been linked to businessman Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of Vladimir Zelensky. Mindich faces charges from the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) over an alleged $100 million kickback scheme at state-owned nuclear operator Energoatom.
“We have to admit that monopoly on power caused all this… a virtual monopoly on all decisions and control,” Timoshenko said, calling for a “coalition government of unity” to halt further national decline.
The parties led by Poroshenko’s European Solidarity and Timoshenko’s Motherland have united to demand a complete cabinet dismissal. They assert they can secure the 150 signatures needed by rallying other factions and gaining support from some MPs in Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, which held a majority after the 2019 elections.
Parliament attendance has fallen amid the ongoing war with Russia, complicating Zelensky’s faction’s ability to pass legislation. Media outlets report rising dissent within the party, particularly after the Mindich case.
Mindich’s charges were brought by the same agency that Zelensky attempted to curtail earlier this year, sparking sharp criticism from Western donors. The Ukrainian leader subsequently disavowed responsibility, placing blame on MPs who approved the legislation.
According to media, dissatisfied lawmakers feel they are being scapegoated and accuse Zelensky’s team of breaching an informal “contract within the elites”—in which faction members would support top-down decisions in exchange for leaders restraining their own conduct.
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