The Ukrainian parliament gave its nod to the full time appointment of Yevhenii Khmara this afternoon. Khmara was nominated for the post by President Zelensky in July. He will succeed Mykhailo Fedorov, who was terminated from his role after 6 months in office.
Who is Yevhenii Khmara?
Yevhenii Leonidovych Khmara is a Ukrainian major general and former senior Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer who has been appointed Ukraine’s new Defence Minister. His nomination was approved by the Verkhovna Rad (Ukraine’s parliament) with 321 votes in his favour.
Khmara previously served as acting head of the SBU and, from July 2026, as acting Defence Minister. He will be the successor of Mykhailo Fedorov who called for presidential elections in the country recently.
Yevhenii Khmara: Age
According to the publicly available birth records, Yevhenii Khmara was born in 1987. So, he is currently 39 years old. However, his exact date of birth is not publicly available.
Yevhenii Khmara: Career
Yevhenii Khmara has enjoyed an extensive career in special operations and Ukraine’s security services. Before joining the SBU, he served in the National Guard’s Omega Special Forces Center, where he specialised in mine warfare and explosives. He joined the SBU’s elite Special Operations Center “A” (Alpha) in 2011.
In April 2023, Zelenskyy appointed him head of the SBU’s Special Operations Center “A”. He was reappointed to lead the reorganised centre in August 2025. Some of his major professional roles include commander of the SBU’s Special Operations Center “A” and the acting head of the SBU, from January 2026. Khmara entered politics earlier this year and was appointed as interim defence minister by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Yevhenii Khmara: Education
Since Yevhenii Khmara was associated with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), his formal education records have been kept highly classified. The confidentiality is mainly due to security reasons.
Yevhenii Khmara: Achievements
Khmara’s military career is closely associated with Ukraine’s special operations during the ongoing war with Russia. Some of his major achievements include the liberation of Snake Island from Russian forces, leading the Alpha special forces unit, reaching the rank of major general in the military in June 2024 and becoming the acting head of SBU agency in January 2026, succeeding Vasyl Maliuk.
