Zelenskyy sacks tech-focused defence minister Fedorov

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, the architect of Ukraine's tech-driven military strategy. The move follows a clash with the country's top general over military reform and recruitment.

The departure raises questions about the future of Ukraine's asymmetric warfare capabilities, a sector where European defence contractors and investors have increasingly looked to Kyiv for innovation. His removal centres on a dispute with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, described as a generational clash between a startup manager and a traditional general.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion, Fedorov has been central to Ukraine's defence industrial base, particularly in drone development and production. He also spearheaded the campaign targeting Russian logistics in occupied Crimea, an operation critical to degrading Moscow's military supply chains.

"It was a great honour to serve the Ukrainian people as Defence Minister," Fedorov wrote on social media on Wednesday. He cited the shutdown of Starlink systems for Russian forces and an "unpopular but extremely important" military reform as key achievements during his six-month tenure.

Fedorov previously built his reputation as deputy prime minister and minister of digital transformation, launching the "state within a smartphone" Diia app in 2020. He later linked his digital ministry with the defence ministry to advance military technology, a model relevant to European defence modernisation efforts.

However, Fedorov admitted he failed to fully transform the defence ministry to meet NATO standards. "However, it was necessary to be even more decisive in dismissing those who were holding back the changes," he said, noting numerous processes had been set in motion.

Zelenskyy reportedly told his Servant of the People faction that "ideally both should be dismissed," referring to Fedorov and Syrskyi, but admitted he could not do so yet. The president has emphasised his priority is a "united" military solving recruitment issues and "closing the sky."

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko is expected to replace Fedorov, pending parliamentary approval. Klymenko, who led the National Police from 2019 until 2023, lacks Fedorov's tech sector background, potentially shifting the ministry's approach to procurement.

The dismissal has triggered immediate public backlash against Zelenskyy. Calls circulated on social media for a Thursday morning demonstration in Kyiv to protest replacing "effective ministers with convenient opportunists," highlighting the domestic risks of disrupting a wartime tech apparatus.