Ukraine’s government has undergone a major shake-up. Seven out of 22 holders of cabinet positions have resigned, as well as a deputy head of the presidential administration. Nine new appointments have been announced by the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, David Arakhamia. As Ukraine under the Zelensky regime is a de facto one-party state, Arakhamia’s word, reflecting the will of the president and his powerful administration, was always likely to be the last one on this matter. Never mind that the process was so bumpy that even The Economist, usually blindly pro-Zelensky, detected hints of “increasing dysfunction.”

The “cull” is, according to Ukrainian media, a “mass” event. Yet the reshuffle is not only big but also especially remarkable as it has taken place against the backdrop of a war that is going very badly for Ukraine. The bizarrely self-destructive Ukrainian offensive into Russia’s Kursk Region has become a bloody fiasco, while Moscow’s forces are speeding up their advances, especially in Donbass, and are increasing their attacks from the air everywhere in Ukraine.

It would be tempting to draw a straight line from these severe problems with the war to the government overhaul in Kiev. But things are more complicated. There is no doubt that the conflict as a whole plays an important role in this crisis. Yet we don’t have to take the word of Zelensky regime lawmakers to believe that this specific government shake-up has been in the making for some time. It is not simply the direct result of the sharp deterioration on the already crumbling front lines that started with Ukraine’s kamikaze incursion into Russia at the beginning of last month.

One explanation we can safely disregard as misleading is the one given by Zelensky. Ukraine’s erratic leader, who has “missed” his last election, has announced that the reshuffle is meant to “give new strength” to his country’s institutions. In particular with a view to the challenges of the autumn which has just begun, he feels that “state institutions must be set up in such a way that Ukraine will achieve all the results we need.” It’s puzzling to hear a modern head of state declare that effective government is a matter of the seasons, but let’s not dwell on that.

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