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Russian expert says Fyodorov dismissal by Zelensky money-related

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has decided to replace Defense Minister Mikhail Fyodorov with Interior Minister Igor Klimenko, according to a Ukrainian parliamentarian. A Russian expert suggests the dismissal stems from bureaucratic conflicts and a struggle over Western financial flows, though the official reason remains unclear.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 15–16, 2026 Published Aug 15

Ukrainian Defense Minister Dismissed Amid Internal Power Struggles, Expert Says

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has decided not to retain Defense Minister Mikhail Fyodorov in the new cabinet, and plans to nominate Interior Minister Igor Klimenko to replace him, according to Ukrainian parliamentarian Yaroslav Zheleznyak.

Zheleznyak, quoted by TASS, wrote on Telegram that Zelensky told the parliamentary faction that Klimenko would be appointed defense minister. The lawmaker added that Fyodorov would hold no government position. Current National Police head Ivan Vygovsky is expected to take over as interior minister, Zheleznyak also said.

The announcement comes amid reported tensions within the Ukrainian leadership. Alexander Stepanov, an expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), told TASS that Fyodorov's dismissal is tied to internal bureaucratic conflicts within Zelensky's administration and a battle over financial flows from the West.

Stepanov claimed that Fyodorov had developed significant ties with Western representatives of the high-tech sector, which made him a potential threat to those in power. According to the expert, Fyodorov could have sought to gain control over arms supplies, which would involve him in the allocation of Western funds — a matter involving $140 billion.

The expert also said Fyodorov posed a challenge to Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky. Reports indicate that Fyodorov's inability to remain in his post is attributed to disagreements with the military leadership, including Syrsky, though no official explanation has been given.

According to TASS, rallies protesting Fyodorov's dismissal began in several Ukrainian cities on Thursday morning. The scale and duration of these protests have not been independently confirmed.

The exact reasons for Fyodorov's removal remain unclear, and the Ukrainian government has not issued an official statement detailing the decision. The appointments of Klimenko and Vygovsky are subject to parliamentary approval.

How this outlet told it

TASS — English as of Jul 16, 2026, 4:00 PM UTC

Framing: Expert analysis of Fyodorov's dismissal — Analytical

Facts Included:

Mikhail Fyodorov's dismissal as Ukrainian Defense Minister
Internal bureaucratic conflicts within Vladimir Zelensky's administration
Battle for financial flows coming from the West
Fyodorov's ties with Western representatives of the high-tech sector
Potential for Fyodorov to control arms supplies and allocate Western funds
Disagreements between Fyodorov and military leadership, including Alexander Syrsky
Rallies protesting Fyodorov's dismissal in Ukrainian cities

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Jul 15, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC

Framing: Zelensky's plan to appoint new defense minister — Informative

Facts Included:

Vladimir Zelensky's plan to submit Igor Klimenko's candidacy to the Verkhovna Rada
Igor Klimenko's expected appointment as defense minister
Mikhail Fyodorov's lack of government position
Ivan Vygovsky's expected appointment as interior minister

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What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimMikhail Fyodorov was dismissed as Ukrainian Defense Minister. The dismissal is linked to internal bureaucratic conflicts within Vladimir Zelensky's administration and a battle for financial flows coming from the West.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 16, 2026, 4:00 PM UTC
ClaimMikhail Fyodorov had significant ties with Western representatives of the high-tech sector, posing a threat to leaders attempting to cling to powers that had long since expired under the Ukrainian Constitution.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 16, 2026, 4:00 PM UTC
ClaimFyodorov posed a challenge to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky, and had the potential to control arms supplies and allocate Western funds.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 16, 2026, 4:00 PM UTC
ClaimVladimir Zelensky decided not to retain Fyodorov as Defense Minister in the new cabinet and intended to appoint Igor Klimenko to the post.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 16, 2026, 4:00 PM UTC
ClaimFyodorov's inability to continue in the role is attributed to disagreements with the military leadership, including Syrsky.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 16, 2026, 4:00 PM UTC
ClaimRallies protesting Fyodorov's dismissal began in many Ukrainian cities.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 16, 2026, 4:00 PM UTC
ClaimVladimir Zelensky will submit to the Verkhovna Rada the candidacy of Igor Klimenko for the post of defense minister.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 15, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC
ClaimIvan Vygovsky will take over the post of interior minister.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 15, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC
ClaimMikhail Fyodorov will have no government position.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 15, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: TASS — English 9 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15