Kyiv political crisis over sacked minister as UK funds fighter jets

President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov after just six months in the role, triggering rare public protests across Ukraine. Hundreds of people took to the streets in Kyiv and other cities to demand the 35-year-old tech reformer be reinstalled.

The dismissal followed a public falling out between Fedorov and General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces. Fedorov had accused the general of blocking his initiatives and sabotaging his work. The former minister was widely credited with shifting battlefield momentum this year by rapidly scaling up drone purchases and cutting Russian units off from Starlink internet services.

To quell the political crisis, Zelensky moved quickly to appoint Yevhenii Khmara, the acting head of Ukraine's SBU domestic security service, as the acting defence minister. Khmara previously oversaw Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure and defence industry.

The domestic upheaval unfolded as outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made his final visit to Kyiv. Starmer pledged €300m to help fund a squadron of 16 Swedish-made Gripen E fighter jets. The funding, delivered in partnership with Sweden, will support around 5,000 jobs across more than 50 UK-based companies involved in the Gripen supply chain.

Swedish defence manufacturer Saab signed a contract worth about $2.5bn to deliver the aircraft in June. The package covers pilot training, simulators, and spare parts, with the jets expected to be delivered by 2029 to help modernise Ukraine's air force.

Starmer used the trip to assert his belief that Ukraine would win the war, calling its military "probably the most effective fighting machine in Europe." He stressed that the upcoming change in British leadership would not alter London's "cast-iron" support.

Meanwhile, the human toll of the conflict continued to mount. Russian and Ukrainian attacks on civilian areas killed at least 13 people yesterday. A Russian guided bomb killed three in Zaporizhzhia, while missiles struck Odesa, killing two. Local officials also reported deaths near Kharkiv, Kupiansk, and Kramatorsk.

Tensions also rose around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after the chief engineer was killed. Ukraine's foreign ministry rejected Russian accusations of involvement, accusing Moscow of using nuclear fears to intimidate the international community. Speaking in the US, CIA director John Ratcliffe described the impact of AI-powered drones, which he called "specialised, low-cost killing machines." He noted that the "average life expectancy of a Russian recruit, right now, arriving on the battlefield in Ukraine, is estimated to be between 20 and 30 minutes."