President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Jan. 3 that he is not considering replacing Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi at this time amid a wider government reshuffle.

Zelensky’s comments come after his Jan. 2 announcement of major political shake-up, with changes to several key portfolios.

Zelensky told reporters that his government “reboot” applies to various institutions, including Ukraine’s Armed Forces, but added that “replacing the commander-in-chief is not envisaged at this time.”

"Next, after the defense sector has been reset, I will move on to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But to get to that point, I need to be sure that everything else has been reset and everything else is functioning,” Zelensky added, without specifying additional anticipated changes.

Among lower-level changes**,** Kyrylo Budanov, the military intelligence chief, was appointed as the new head of the President’s Office, while Oleh Ivashchenko, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, assumed Budanov’s former role.

Similarly, Mykhailo Fedorov, the current deputy prime minister and digital transformation minister was proposed as as the country’s new defense minister, while current Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal is slated to take over the vacant energy minister portfolio.

Additionally, Zelensky [announced](https://www.facebook.com/zelenskyy.official/posts/продовжуємо-кадрові-зміни-і-зараз-проводимо-консультації-щодо-нових-керівників-о/4115986481985030/) on Jan. 3 that his team was finalizing a list of new heads for Vinnytsia, Ternopil, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk and Chernivtsi oblasts.

Syrskyi has been serving in his role as commander-in-chief since February 2024, after replacing his predecesor Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

Read also: Russia captured over 4,300 square kilometers of Ukraine in 2025, DeepState reports

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