UKRAINE, KYIV, Jul. 16 — Ukrainian Parliament, or Verkhovna Rada, appointed Serhii Koretskyi as the country’s new prime minister, with 289 of 389 lawmakers voting in favor of the decision. 

Before his appointment, Koretskyi served as CEO of Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas company. 

On Jul. 14, Verkhovna Rada dismissed Yulia Svyrdenko as prime minister. The next day Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine nominated Koretskyi as her successor. 

“We must be ready for the upcoming winter. After all consultations, he is probably the person most prepared to be prime minister,” Zelenskyy said during the press conference with journalists on Jul. 15. 

David Arakhamia, head of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada, also said that Koretskyi’s experience at Naftogaz will be useful in preparing Ukraine for what he described as “the most difficult winter in the history.” 

According to the Kyiv Independent, different analysts and lawmakers have described Koretskyi as a figure with a good reputation. 

However, Koretskyi’s appointment was obscured by protests against Zelenskyy’s decision to fire Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. 

Thousands of people gathered in the centers of Ukraine’s largest cities, urging the president not to remove Fedorov from his post. 

During the presentation of his achievements as defense minister, Fedorov said that Zelenskyy had dismissed him after Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief, gave the president an ultimatum: dismiss either him or Fedorov because of the conflicts between them. 

Zelenskyy has already reacted to the protests, saying that Fedorov will remain in his team, although he is not yet sure in what position.  

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