After the prime minister, Volodymyr Zelensky has now dismissed Ukraine’s popular defence minister, Mikhailo Fedorov. The decision is thought to be part of a sweeping government reshuffle, and he was removed despite appeals from foreign partners and civil society. In a post on Telegram, Fedorov confirmed his departure, saying it had been a great honour to serve the country. He is credited with contributing to reform of the defence ministry and to reducing corruption, Reuters reported. In just six months in the post, he brought about a dramatic improvement in Ukraine’s position on the battlefield.
Under him, Kyiv struck Russian oil refineries successfully with long-range drones and was able to cut off occupied Crimea from the Russian mainland. On the day of his departure, Fedorov said the Ukrainian military had also successfully completed a test of a ballistic missile that had cut the cost of the war by 30 percent. Alongside Fedorov, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has also resigned; Naftogaz chief Serhiy Koretsky is thought to be a possible replacement.
Fedorov’s removal has angered his supporters and fuelled rumours of a rift with the army chief, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi. International figures, including former US ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul, had asked Zelensky to refrain from the decision.
An aide to the dismissed minister, Serhiy Sternenko, expressed frustration, saying that bureaucratic obstacles had not even allowed genuine reform to begin. Opposition politician Iryna Gerashchenko and online commentators also sharply criticised Zelensky’s decision. Artem Bronzhukov, deputy director of the think-tank Polityka, told Radio NV that changing defence ministers so frequently during a war against a country like Russia was highly unusual.
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