KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s parliament has confirmed a new prime minister, Serhii Koretskyi, a 48-year-old engineer with deep roots in the energy and business sectors rather than in politics or government bureaucracy.
Unlike many of his predecessors in senior Ukrainian government roles, Koretskyi did not rise through political parties, parliament, or the civil service. Instead, he spent more than two decades working in the fuel and food industries before being tapped to take over several of Ukraine’s most troubled state-owned energy companies.
He quickly built a reputation as a capable crisis manager, turning around struggling state enterprises and returning them to profitability. Now, he faces what may be his most formidable challenge yet — one that will demand far more than business skill alone. Running Ukraine’s financially strained wartime government will call for political savvy, diplomatic finesse, and strategic maneuvering.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has charged Koretskyi with guiding the country through what officials anticipate could be the toughest winter of the ongoing war, given continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. He is the country’s third prime minister since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
His time in office is already off to a turbulent start. While lawmakers were casting their votes to confirm him, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the city center, furious at Zelenskyy over the abrupt government reshuffle announced earlier this week. Many protesters were angry that popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov was pushed aside in the shake-up.
Speaking before parliament, Koretskyi outlined his top priorities: shoring up Ukraine’s damaged energy infrastructure, stabilizing the national economy, ensuring that international aid is used efficiently, and ramping up domestic weapons manufacturing.
Koretskyi’s path to this role runs through Ukraine’s state energy sector. In 2022, after the government seized oil producer Ukrnafta and refinery operator Ukrtatnafta from oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi, Koretskyi was appointed to lead both companies at the same time.
Within two years, Ukrnafta had posted record profits, paid off its tax debts, and grown its production output. The company became one of Ukraine’s top taxpayers and a significant contributor to the war effort, supplying fuel to the military and helping finance drone programs.
Last year, Koretskyi was chosen to head Naftogaz, the country’s massive state energy company, during a particularly difficult period. Gas reserves had dropped to record lows after the previous leadership failed to secure enough imports and Russia stepped up strikes against production facilities.
He ordered an audit that led to sweeping internal restructuring — cutting redundant functions and reducing staff — moves that generated pushback from within the organization. But under his watch, Naftogaz rebuilt its gas reserves to more than 13 billion cubic meters and raised nearly $1 billion in financing.
Zelenskyy has called Koretskyi “the most prepared candidate” for the prime minister role, pointing specifically to his focus on winter readiness as a key reason for the selection.
