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Live: Ukraine’s new defence minister takes office as popular predecessor calls for presidential vote
Ukrainian lawmakers approved former top special forces operative Yevhenii Khmara as the country’s new defence minister Wednesday, just hours after his predecessor Mykhailo Fedorov called for fresh presidential elections. Elections have been banned in Ukraine since President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law following the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Follow our liveblog for t
Published Wednesday, 19 August 2026 at 11:20

Ukrainian lawmakers approved former top special forces operative Yevhenii Khmara as the country’s new defence minister Wednesday, just hours after his predecessor Mykhailo Fedorov called for fresh presidential elections. Elections have been banned in Ukraine since President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law following the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
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