Who is Sergii Koretskyi? Engineer and energy executive appointed Ukraine's new Prime Minister

Ukraine has appointed energy executive Sergii Koretskyi as the new Prime Minister of the state. 48-year-old Koretskyi is the third Prime Minister since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He is trusted by Zelensky to lead through the tough period of winter. He received 289 votes in favour.

“We weathered the harshest winter and ensured an uninterrupted supply of gas to Ukrainians, despite significant losses of our own production,” Koretskyi said in his parliamentary speech, highlighting his achievement as head of Naftogaz, Ukraine's biggest state company.

In a social media post on the platform X, Koretskyi highlighted the necessity to fully equip Ukraine’s Defense Forces and accelerate the expansion of our defense industrial base. “At the same time, we are preparing the country for winter while continuing to support Ukrainian citizens and businesses. Our responsibility is to fulfill the state’s social obligations in full by ensuring the timely payment of pensions, social assistance, and funding for essential public services”, read the post.

Also Read: 6.3 quake strikes near Te Anau, New Zealand, tsunami warning issued

Who is Sergii Koretskyi?

48-year-old Sergii Koretskyi is an engineer and economist by profession. He has never held a government office before, and is believed to be politically neutral. But he holds roughly two decades of experience in production and refining, energy retail, wholesale management, ​and international financing, as a senior executive of Ukraine's biggest state-run company, Naftogaz. Since 2025, he has been serving as the CEO of Ukraine's biggest state companies. Before that, he had held the top position at Ukraine's largest oil company, Ukrnafta, a part of the Naftogaz group. Before heading state-run companies, he also held senior positions in private companies. He was the CEO of the Continuum ⁠Group, one of the biggest filling station chains in Ukraine, WOG.

Zelensky had told reporters on Wednesday that preparing for winter is the biggest priority. As Ukraine continues to endure one of the heaviest bombardments of the season, analysts perceive that Koretskyi's political neutrality and decades of management experience will provide an edge.