Ukraine’s defence minister ousted after public clash with top general
Ukraine’s defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, has been dropped from his post in a broad government reshuffle, ending a tenure marked by ambitious reform efforts but also deep friction with the military’s top brass. His removal, announced abruptly and without detailed explanation, sparked rare public protests in Kyiv, Lviv and other cities, according to reports from France 24.
Fedorov, 35, had been tasked with modernising an army exhausted after more than four years of fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion. In his six months in office, he raised soldiers’ salaries, announced plans for a partial demobilisation and introduced game-like reward systems for units that kill the most Russian troops. His supporters credit him with helping turn the battlefield momentum in Ukraine’s favour this year by ramping up drone purchases and orchestrating a crucial intervention to cut Russian units off from Starlink internet services.
But his tenure was plagued by conflict with the more traditional military establishment, most notably with Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. At a press conference he convened in Kyiv on Thursday, standing before a large screen showing drone footage and wearing his trademark dark T-shirt, Fedorov defended his record and launched an unusually public attack on Syrsky.
“All the initiatives we were proposing started to be blocked, and Syrsky … is not ready to look you in the eye and openly talk about those problems,” Fedorov said. “Instead of figuring out how to defeat Russia asymmetrically – which is the commander-in-chief’s task – he figured out how to split the country.” He added, “In this configuration, I personally don’t know how to win the war.”
Fedorov acknowledged that he had urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to replace Syrsky, as well as the chief of the general staff, Andrii Hnatov. He said he had been willing to continue working with both men once it became clear Zelensky would keep them, but accused Syrsky of issuing his own ultimatum: either Fedorov went, or Syrsky would. Zelensky appears to have chosen Syrsky.
A reformer at odds with the old guard
From the outset, Fedorov – who never served in the army – clashed with the military command’s traditionally stiff approach. He held lengthy TED Talk-style briefings, dressed casually and engaged with journalists, trying to inject energy into Ukraine’s war machine some four years into the Russian invasion.
The tech-savvy reformer was the last remaining minister to have held positions in every one of Zelensky’s governments, having remained close to the president since his election in 2019. It was not clear whether Fedorov would receive another government post.
Fedorov was born in Vasylivka, a town now occupied by Russia in southern Ukraine, and grew up in the nearby city of Zaporizhzhia, which is now pounded daily by Russian bombs and drones. As a young marketing specialist, he was brought into politics by Zelensky, and his rapid rise reflected the president’s preference for unconventional, tech-focused figures.
The Bakhmut legacy and broader tensions
Syrsky’s reputation has been shaped by his role in the defence of Bakhmut, a nine-month battle that saw significant losses on both sides before Kyiv was forced to abandon the city. The general has been nicknamed “the Butcher” – a label that reflects the heavy casualties associated with that campaign.
Beyond the personal rivalry, Ukraine faces a chronic manpower shortage, with reports of over 200,000 soldiers absent without leave and 2 million men evading the military draft. Fedorov had announced recruitment reforms in June, including pay rises, fixed-term contracts and more aggressive efforts to attract foreign fighters – measures that were seen as an attempt to address the shortfall, but which also put him on a collision course with the military’s traditional approach.
The public protests that followed his dismissal underscored the sensitivity of the issue. Supporters of Fedorov pointed to his role in turning the tide of the war through technological innovation, while critics of the military leadership argue that Syrsky’s resistance to change is hindering Ukraine’s war effort.
For now, the reshuffle leaves Ukraine’s defence establishment under the command of a general who has been accused of favouring attritional tactics, while the fate of the ousted reformer remains uncertain.