Yevhenii Khmara
Ukrainian security service general
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Yevhenii Leonidovych Khmara (Ukrainian: Євгеній Леонідович Хмара) is a Ukrainian security service officer and major general appointed acting head of Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on 5 January 2026.[1][2] Previously he led the Center Special Operations "A" (Alpha) of the SBU. He has held other senior command positions within SBU special operations units during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.[3] He has served as the acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine since the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov on 15 July 2026.
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Yevhenii Khmara | |
|---|---|
Євгеній Хмара | |
Khmara in 2026 | |
| Acting Minister of Defence | |
| Assumed office 15 July 2026 | |
| President | Volodymyr Zelenskyy |
| Preceded by | Mykhailo Fedorov |
| Acting Head of the Security Service of Ukraine | |
| Assumed office 5 January 2026 | |
| President | Volodymyr Zelenskyy |
| Preceded by | Vasyl Malyuk |
| Succeeded by | Oleksandr Poklad |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Ukraine |
| Branch/service | Security Service of Ukraine |
| Rank | Major general |
| Battles/wars | Russo-Ukrainian War |
Career
In April 2023, Khmara was appointed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as head of the SBU unit responsible for special operations, counterterrorism activities, and the protection of participants in criminal proceedings and law enforcement officials.[4]
Following legislative reforms restructuring the SBU's special operations forces, Khmara was reappointed on 25 August 2025 as head of the reorganized and renamed Center for Special Operations "A" or Alpha Group.[5] The unit conducts counterterrorism and other special missions as part of Ukraine's national security framework.[6]
On 5 January 2026, President Zelenskyy appointed Khmara as the acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), entrusting him with leadership of the agency during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.[2] He succeeded Vasyl Malyuk.
On 16 July 2026, Zelenskyy appointed Khmara as the acting Ukrainian Minister of Defence. It was a move that came after the controversial dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov during a government reshuffle.[7]
Operations
Khmara led the counteroffensive campaign in May and June of 2022 to recapture Snake Island.[8]
In June 2025, during his time as head of Alpha Group of SBU, the unit carried out Operation Spiderweb.[9]
Rank
On 23 June 2024, President Zelenskyy awarded Khmara the military rank of Major General. The promotion was reported by Ukrainian media as part of a broader decree conferring senior ranks within Ukraine's security and defense sector.[10]