President Volodymyr Zelensky shook up his wartime government, drawing thousands into the streets Friday across Ukraine to protest the ouster of his youthful defence minister — seen as an innovator of the country's successful drone technology but who clashed with the traditional military establishment.
The personnel overhaul, which included replacing his prime minister, could become a test of Zelensky’s political authority as Ukraine’s fight against Russia's full-scale invasion approaches 4-and-a-half years. Zelensky has remained in office under martial law because wartime elections are prohibited but has periodically reshuffled his government.
The moves threw Ukraine’s military leadership into an unwelcome crisis at a time when its actions against Russia are starting to bear fruit and as Moscow has unleashed unrelenting aerial attacks. Two people were killed and five others were wounded, including a child, when Russian missiles hit the capital of Kyiv overnight, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said.
In making the changes, Zelensky cited friction between outgoing Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine's armed forces.
"I'm just showing that if the sides can’t resolve an issue, I will have to resolve it," Zelensky said at a news conference.
The outgoing defence chief was seen as a moderniser
Fedorov, 35, is considered to be a vigorous moderniser whose technological expertise is credited in part with significantly improving Ukraine’s military performance in recent months against Russia’s bigger army. He is leaving the government after only six months in the post.
Fedorov appeared at a news conference in a dark T-shirt and jeans, and accused Syrskyi of blocking reforms needed because “the war has changed completely” due to new technology like drones.
During his time in office, he secured restrictions on Russian forces’ access to the Starlink satellite communications system, allowing Ukraine to better leverage its midrange strike capabilities giving Kyiv significant battlefield advantages.
Fedorov said he was willing to work with Syrskyi, “but we encountered a situation in which all the initiatives we proposed began to be blocked.”
“Under this arrangement [with Syrskyi as commande], I personally do not know how the war can be won,” he said.
On social media, Fedorov highlighted what he called his major achievements: redirecting funds earmarked for salaries into midrange strike capabilities, fibre-optic drones, reconnaissance systems and other technologies. He pointed to expanded drone procurement, Patriot missile defence contracts, successful ballistic missile tests and sweeping changes to military procurement.
But he acknowledged he was unable to complete the Defence Ministry’s organisational transformation “according to NATO standards and common sense,” and move all procurement to competitive tenders, and build a culture of accountability.
Syrskyi didn’t appear in public but in a Facebook post thanked Fedorov and said he hoped he would continue to serve Ukraine. "I wish him to continue to remain in the Ukrainian team," Syrskyi said without elaborating.
Zelensky said he had asked Major General Yevhen Khmara to perform the defence minister's duties in the meantime, according to a post on the Telegram messaging app. Since January, Khmara has been acting head of the state’s security service, known as the SBU. He had previously led the SBU’s elite Alpha special forces unit.
Zelensky described a difficult relationship between the Defence Ministry and the military at multiple levels, not simply a matter of personalities, and he said both sides share responsibility for the consequences.
"Together we win, and together we’re responsible for the things that cause confusion and public reaction," he said, standing beside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was making his final foreign visit before leaving office next week.
Mostly young protesters support Fedorov
Syrskyi, 60, initially organized the defence of Kyiv in February 2022, and seven months later masterminded a successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region. Born in 1965, he attended the Moscow Higher Military Command School before serving in the Soviet Artillery Corps before the USSR's collapse in 1991.
The Ukrainian military has rallied under Fedorov, slowing Moscow’s front-line advance to a virtual standstill and striking refineries and other energy sites inside Russian territory, causing widespread fuel shortages, Western officials and analysts say. Zelensky’s decision to fire him despite that record has dismayed many people.
Before becoming defence minister in January, Fedorov headed Ukraine’s digital transformation policies. He won popularity by spearheading the rapid development and deployment of drone technology and introducing several successful e-government platforms.
As minister, he moved to combat corruption, an issue that carries particular weight with Ukrainians who have repeatedly protested graft. Fighting corruption meant working against the interests of groups that had long profited from programs within the ministry, he said in interviews. He also sought to overhaul weapons procurement to make it more transparent.
He had promised sweeping military reforms, saying it had faced about 200,000 desertions and draft-dodging by some 2 million people.
The mostly young protesters who took to the streets of Kyiv and other cities to support Fedorov made crude remarks about the current military commander, chanting, "Syrskyi, go away!" and "A European army for a European country!"
Kyiv resident Bohdan Huryak said he was "deeply outraged" by Fedorov’s exit.
"I'm not deeply invested in the internal political debates, but this is a person who shows results on the battlefield, we see results, we feel the fighting spirit and confidence in victory rising," Huryak told The Associated Press. "And then, six months later, he is removed from office? Come on."
Russian military correspondents and pro-Kremlin bloggers relished the controversy. Pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergei Markov described Fedorov’s comments as a "rebellion" against Zelensky.
The deputy commander of Ukraine’s air force, Colonel Pavlo Yelizarov, quit over Fedorov’s dismissal, saying on social media it will weaken Ukraine’s air defences and lead to more deaths from Russian attacks.
"I believe that the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov is a great evil for the country’s defence capability," he wrote in his resignation letter on Facebook.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including a strong quake rocks the south, and the rescue of a man stuck in a portaloo. (Source: Breakfast)
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