Popular Mykolaiv governor Kim tapped for Ukrainian Cabinet role

Mykolaiv Oblast Governor Vitalii Kim accepted an offer to become Ukraine's next veterans affairs minister as part of the government's reshuffle, he told the Kyiv Independent on July 15.

"I agreed," Kim said after a meeting with the ruling Servant of the People faction.

If confirmed by parliament, Kim would be among the few officials during President Volodymyr Zelensky's tenure to move from a regional leadership position into the cabinet. He is set to replace Natalia Kalmykova, who has served as veterans affairs minister since September 2024.

The decision appears to have been made at the last minute, according to one official, who said reports of Kim's expected appointment caught even his own team off guard.

"This came as a complete shock," the official told the Kyiv Independent.

Before entering politics, Kim spent years as an entrepreneur. In 2020, he was elected to the Mykolaiv City Council as a member of the Servant of the People party after leading its local campaign headquarters.

Kim has served as governor of the southern Mykolaiv Oblast since November 2020. He rose to national prominence during the early months of Russia's full-scale invasion, becoming one of Ukraine's most recognizable public officials through his calm, optimistic social media updates.

"Kim is certainly a charismatic figure, but he's clearly not a fit for veterans affairs minister," a lawmaker from Zelensky's party told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonimity. "It's hard to see what connection he has to veterans."

Kim remains one of the few regional leaders regularly included in nationwide opinion polls. A recent survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) found that 47% of Ukrainians trust Kim, giving him one of the highest approval ratings among public officials.

Among regional leaders, only Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov ranked higher, with a 52% trust rating.

Terekhov was among several officials who met with Zelensky on July 12 as the president consulted regional leaders during the government reshuffle.

Several polls have also tested Kim and Terekhov as potential leaders of a future political party. The two cooperate through the Association of Front line Cities and Communities, a platform founded in 2025 and headed by Terekhov.

Terekhov has denied that the association is a political project or a vehicle for future parliamentary elections.