Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to dismiss Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. According to Suspilne and Ukrainska Pravda, Zelensky announced this at a meeting with lawmakers from the ruling Servant of the People party.
According to the outlets’ sources, the president explained the decision by citing Fedorov’s prolonged conflict with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. One source quoted by Ukrainska Pravda said the minister focused on digitalization and building a technology-centered system, while the military wanted their procurement requests to be heard. According to that source, the two sides had stopped understanding each other.
Zelensky also reportedly acknowledged that, in his view, both men should eventually be replaced, but that he could not do so at the same time. Another complaint against Fedorov, according to lawmakers, was his failure to carry out the previously promised mobilization reform.
Sources cited by Suspilne and Ukrainska Pravda say Zelensky intends to nominate Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko as the new defense minister. According to those sources, the president believes Klymenko can “restore order” in military recruitment. This is said to be especially important ahead of a possible mobilization in Russia on September 23.
Fedorov himself indirectly confirmed the impending dismissal in a social media post the day before. He said it had been a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as defense minister and added that he would continue working toward the same mission — defeating the enemy through “asymmetry, speed of innovation, and the power of organization.”
Amid the reports of his removal, protests began in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and other major Ukrainian cities, according to a Novaya-Europe correspondent and Ukrainian media. They reported crowds ranging from several dozen to several thousand people. In Kyiv, the protest is taking place in the square near the Ivan Franko Theater, where demonstrators are chanting the minister’s name and holding signs in his support. In addition, Pavlo Yelyzarov, deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, announced his resignation, calling Fedorov’s removal a major blow to the country’s defense capability.
Earlier, on July 12, Zelensky announced the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and a full government reshuffle. On July 14, the Verkhovna Rada accepted her resignation. At the same time, the president proposed Naftogaz head Serhii Koretskyi for the post of prime minister. The new cabinet is expected to be announced on July 16.