Oleksandr Plachynta appointed Ukraine deputy defence minister for finance
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers appointed Oleksandr Plachynta deputy minister of defence for finance, replacing Vasyl Shkurakiv. Plachynta will oversee the defence budget and financial resources from the state budget, international assistance, grants and loans.
Key points
- The Cabinet of Ministers approved Plachynta’s appointment on 11 November 2026.
- The Defence Ministry announced the appointment on 12 November.
- Vasyl Shkurakiv was dismissed as deputy defence minister for finance and internal audit.
- Plachynta previously headed the Main Directorate of International Defence Resources.
- He will oversee defence-budget formulation, execution and comprehensive financial management.
- His responsibilities include cooperation with international partners and improving audit and internal controls.
Why it matters
The appointment places responsibility for forming and executing Ukraine’s defence budget with a new deputy minister. Plachynta will also oversee funding from the state budget, international assistance, grants and loans, making cooperation with international partners and stronger financial controls central elements of the role.
What happened
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers appointed Oleksandr Plachynta deputy minister of defence for finance and dismissed Vasyl Shkurakiv from the post of deputy minister for finance and internal audit. The government adopted the relevant order on 11 November 2026, and the Defence Ministry announced the change on 12 November.
Plachynta will oversee defence-budget formulation and execution, as well as the comprehensive management of financial resources from the state budget, international assistance, grants and loans. He will also work with international partners to strengthen their confidence in the ministry’s financial management and improve the defence ministry’s audit and internal-control systems to identify financial risks promptly.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reports present the appointment as a change in the ministry’s financial leadership. They highlight Plachynta’s previous leadership of international defence resources, military service, legal background and experience with European defence-financing instruments. The dismissal of Shkurakiv is described as part of the same personnel change.
Background
Before his appointment, Plachynta headed the Defence Ministry’s Main Directorate of International Defence Resources. He served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine from July 2022 to May 2024 and later held ministry roles in military justice and procurement policy. Before the full-scale invasion, he worked as a lawyer and barrister.
Plachynta previously worked with the EU Ukraine Support Loan, ERA Loans, SAFE and EDIP, as well as the Danish model for supporting Ukraine’s defence-industrial complex. Security and defence spending in Ukraine’s 2026 budget was reported as 4.367 trillion hryvnias after the June changes.