(Tribune News Service) — Ukraine’s parliament voted to dismiss the infrastructure and agriculture ministers, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy overhauls his government to manage an economy reeling under a third year of war.

The removal of Oleksandr Kubrakov, a deputy premier in charge of wartime reconstruction, in a motion citing shortcomings in regional policy was backed by 272 lawmakers, parliament member Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Telegram. Separately, 273 lawmakers voted to dismiss Mykola Solskyi, the agriculture minister who has been targeted in a graft probe looking into a state-owned land grab in the eastern Sumy region. The minister was released from detention last month after depositing $1.9 million bail, while keeping his post.

Kubrakov, 41, is part of the cohort of young technocrats who joined the government after Zelenskyy came to power on promises to renew the country five years ago. With Russia starting its full-scale invasion in 2022, Kubrakov got promoted to deputy prime minister, with his responsibilities expanded to include military logistics and reconstruction of destroyed housing and municipal infrastructure.

The motion to remove Kubrakov was initiated by 40 deputies, all but three of them being members of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party which has a majority in the 401-strong legislature. With the war in its third year, Russian missile and drone strikes continued to inflict damage on the country’s power system, prompting public criticism of insufficient protection of vital infrastructure.

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