Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decided not to reappoint Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister when forming the new cabinet. Fedorov had led the ministry for about six months; before that, he served as minister of digital transformation, overseeing the development of the Diia app and, early in the full-scale war, helping secure Starlink access for Ukrainian forces through talks with Elon Musk.
According to Ukrainska Pravda and RBC-Ukraine, the main reason for his dismissal was a conflict with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Sources said Zelensky described the decision as stemming from differing views on how to wage the war and from poor coordination between the Defense Ministry and the General Staff, including on procurement.
Ukrainian outlets link the rift to reforms launched under Fedorov: staff reshuffles, a shift to open tenders, audits of defense contracts, and an end to automatically approving all General Staff requests. Fedorov himself publicly confirmed the conflict and said he had proposed replacing the army leadership if Ukraine wanted to pursue asymmetrical methods with fewer losses.
According to Fedorov, after the refusal to replace the commander-in-chief, his initiatives began to be blocked and the confrontation between the military command and the ministry only deepened.
Ukrainian media named Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko among possible successors, although reports about whether he would accept the post were contradictory. Sources also said Zelensky was dissatisfied that the promised mobilization reform had not been completed.
The move sparked protests across Ukraine: in Kyiv, demonstrators demanded Fedorov’s return and Syrskyi’s resignation. Pavlo Yelizarov, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Air Force, submitted his resignation, directly linking it to Fedorov’s removal. In the EU, the personnel decision was described as unexpected, while the Financial Times suggested the dismissal could weaken Ukraine’s defense capabilities.