"The minister is a veteran, not Kim": Vitaliy admitted people were right, but he refuses to give up his seat

The newly appointed Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine Vitaliy Kim responded to criticism that the relevant ministry was headed by a civilian official who is not himself a veteran. Earlier, during rallies in Kyiv participants chanted “A veteran, not Kim”, and in Mykolaiv one of the posters bore the slogan “Minister — a veteran, not Kim”. The Verkhovna Rada appointed Vitaliy Kim Minister for Veterans Affairs on 16 July 2026 as part of the new government.

The decision on the composition of the Cabinet was supported by 264 members of parliament. Responding to accusations regarding his appointment, Vitaliy Kim acknowledged that he partially understands the critics’ arguments, asked for support and said he is giving himself a year to implement his plans and demonstrate results for veterans.

“Good afternoon, friends. I see and hear what is happening. I understand, and you are partly right. But since ’22 I have been living the war. Many things in my life have changed, radically. Even though I am in a civilian position, nonetheless, this is my whole life now. I decided for myself that I will be useful here, and understanding all the responsibility, I accepted this decision. In a week I received dozens of proposals, changes to state programs, and issues to address. I will continue to do this, communicating both with the veteran community and with the military. I understand what needs to be done and changed systemically so that there is benefit. Therefore, I am actually asking for support. I give myself a year to implement what I have planned and to show the result that our veterans need. I will present my plans soon. I will work this through with the leadership so that there are additional budgetary appropriations for their implementation. We are working.”

Thus, Vitaliy Kim has not yet made the ministry’s concrete work plans public, but he announced a separate presentation. Among the steps he has announced are continuing consultations with the veteran community and the military, changes to state programs, and work on obtaining additional budget financing for future projects.

Earlier we wrote:

• “Minister — a veteran, not Kim”: the government’s personnel decision sparked protest
• Kim after his appointment as minister does not want to give up his mandate as a deputy of the Mykolaiv City Council
• “In soul and heart I will forever remain a Mykolaiv resident”: Vitaliy Kim said farewell to the position of head of the OVA
• Rada approved the government: Kim — Minister of Veterans, Vygovsky — Interior Ministry; both from the Mykolaiv region, 264 votes in favor
• “Good evening, we are from the ministry”: Vitaliy Kim is being taken from the Mykolaiv region to the Cabinet