On the evening of July 15, it became known that Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov would leave the post he had held since January 2026. His resignation has not yet been approved by the Verkhovna Rada, but Fedorov himself confirmed the decision at a press conference and said he had clashed with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
News of the resignation triggered protests in several Ukrainian cities. In Kyiv, demonstrators gathered on Ivan Franko Square with placards supporting Fedorov and chants demanding his return and Syrskyi’s dismissal. Similar rallies were reported in Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Lutsk, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Uzhhorod, Dnipro, Ternopil and Odesa.
Volodymyr Zelensky said that in wartime a president must choose a side if the parties will not sit down for talks without him. He acknowledged his own share of responsibility, added that Fedorov would remain on his team, and said people have the right to express their will even during war.
Syrskyi thanked Fedorov for his work and said he would focus on the war and on a strategy that, in his words, is already producing concrete results. Some Ukrainian military figures and people linked to the ministry reacted sharply: Air Force Deputy Commander Pavlo Yelizarov said he had submitted his resignation, while ministerial adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote that he could no longer help at the ministry level. Serhiy Sternenko also said he was losing the ability to influence reforms related to drones.
Outside Ukraine, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius called the development a major surprise and stressed that he had worked closely with Fedorov, including on funding for Ukraine. In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was following the events, while Russian pro-war bloggers and commentators largely welcomed the news, describing the resignation as beneficial for Russia.