Zelenskyy removes reformist defence chief as Ukraine reshapes war
The dismissal of modernising Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov risks undermining the drone-led military strategy that has shifted the war's momentum, just as European allies pledge enduring support.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Ukraine’s defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, confirming a breakdown in relations between the ministry and the country’s top military leadership. The president has appointed Yevhenii Khmara, the acting head of the security service, as acting defence minister.
The removal of Fedorov, widely regarded as a moderniser, threatens to disrupt the military strategy that has recently shifted the conflict's momentum. Over his six months in office, Ukraine’s battlefield position improved dramatically through a campaign of long-range drone strikes that crippled Russian oil refineries and disrupted logistics to occupied Crimea.
Fedorov accused the general staff of using Soviet-style management to obstruct reforms. He stated that decisions on which brigades received drone support were based on “loyalty” rather than data. He claimed the military blocked his plans to create centres of excellence and change the army's organisational structure, prompting him to propose replacing the commander in chief, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Zelenskyy acknowledged the "challenging dialogue" but ultimately backed Syrskyi, a move that has sparked significant domestic unrest. More than 1,000 protesters gathered outside the presidential office in Kyiv, marking only the second large anti-government demonstration since the 2022 invasion. Protesters speculated that the 35-year-old Fedorov was removed as a future political rival, much like former army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi was exiled to London last year.
European support tested
The political crisis overshadowed the farewell visit of British prime minister Keir Starmer, who is soon leaving Downing Street. Starmer awarded Zelenskyy the Order of Freedom and stressed that British support would not waver, stating: “The support of the United Kingdom for this course will never change. It is in our bones.”
Starmer directly linked Ukraine's recent military successes to the drone strategy, noting that strikes on long-range targets inside Russia meant Putin was “losing”. However, the internal dispute over defence procurement raises pressing questions for Ukraine's European partners about how efficiently their continued military and financial aid will be deployed.
The turmoil extends beyond the defence ministry. Parliament also accepted the resignation of prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko, with Naftogaz head Serhiy Koretskyi expected to replace her. Fedorov has refused an offer to stay on as a government adviser, warning that failing to eradicate the military's current culture will prevent Ukraine from defeating Russia "asymmetrically, with minimal losses."
