Ukraine’s acting Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said he had urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to dismiss Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi and Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov. According to Hromadske, he made the statement at a press conference after announcing his own resignation.
Fedorov said such a move was necessary “if we want to defeat the enemy asymmetrically, with minimal losses.”
According to Fedorov, Zelensky replied that he did not plan to replace Syrskyi. The outgoing defense chief said he accepted that decision and expected to establish a working relationship with the commander-in-chief. Later, however, Syrskyi allegedly began blocking his initiatives and ultimately demanded his resignation.
In doing so, Fedorov publicly acknowledged a conflict with Syrskyi that had previously been reported by the media. In particular, Ukrainska Pravda and The Economist had written that Fedorov might leave the post about six months after his appointment because of strained relations with the commander-in-chief and with factions linked to the defense budget.
It became known on July 15 that Fedorov would leave the defense minister’s post. He effectively confirmed the move himself in a social media message, saying it had been a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people in that role.
At the time of publication, the Verkhovna Rada had not yet approved his resignation. At the same time, according to the source text, protests against his departure from the government had begun in Ukrainian cities.