Zelensky faces protests over ousting of Ukraine’s defense minister despite military gains

The removal of Ukraine’s popular defense minister despite recent military successes has sparked protests in Kyiv and an unprecedented public split over the conduct of the war against Russia.

Mykhaylo Fedorov – who has proved a dynamic and innovative minister in his six months on the job – said late Wednesday he had been removed from the post, amid disagreements with the armed forces chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the protests Thursday and said he was “confident that [Fedorov] will remain on my team, and we will discuss a little later what that will look like.”

The removal of Fedorov has set off a political storm in Kyiv and shaken Ukraine’s Western allies. One senior European official in Kyiv told CNN the decision to remove Fedorov was “a bit of a shocker” and suggested it could have wide-ranging repercussions for Ukraine’s relations with key allies, who see Fedorov as committed to efforts to tackle corruption both in the military and the wider government.

Fedorov, previously Ukraine’s minister for digital transformation, was popular among troops for improving pay and frontline rotations. If he is replaced, his successor would be Ukraine’s fifth defense minister since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Fedorov, 35, has been credited with an innovative approach to technology and recruitment but clashed with others in Ukraine’s defense establishment.

He championed Ukrainian start-up companies in developing a wide range of drones that have helped blunt Russian advances on the battlefield and inflict widespread damage on refineries and pipelines hundreds of miles inside Russia.

He was also responsible for developing mid-range drones that have helped isolate Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

But he met with resistance among some in Ukraine’s military hierarchy and on Thursday launched an outspoken attack on Syrskyi in the most public split within Ukraine’s defense team since the war began.

“Decisions are made based on loyalty, not data,” Fedorov said at a news conference on Thursday. “There is sabotage of changes. There are constant lies, including about me.”

Fedorov’s removal came as Russian missiles struck Kyiv early Thursday, with loud explosions heard in the Ukrainian capital.

What are the disagreements?

“I would very much like to see unity” between the army and Defense Ministry, Zelensky said Thursday – but they had only communicated through him.

“And the problem lies not only with the parties, but with me as well…I respect the parties; I know their strengths, I know their weaknesses.”

It’s unclear what role Zelensky sees for Fedorov. He said Thursday he had not made a final decision on who would head the Ministry of Defense.

Fedorov had clashed with Ukraine’s military chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, over priorities, according to analysts.

The former defense minister made a blistering attack on Syrskyi in his news conference on Thursday. “You can’t solve mobilization issue unless you there are real changes in the military. What are we offering? Lies, chaos…” he said,

The idea that “Syrskyi can hold the frontline is a fake,” he added. “Instead of coming up with how to win over Russia he came up with how to split the country.”

Complaining about opposition to change among some commanders, Fedorov said: “Strong military leaders were sidelined. There is constant resistance we need to overcome.”

In an earlier statement on Telegram, Fedorov set out his achievements, asserting aid that during his tenure, “we procured more drones in four months than in the entire previous year,” and launched a support program for modern drone-assault units.

Ukraine’s advanced drone campaign has had a major impact on the conflict in recent months. Kyiv has sometimes launched hundreds of drones in a single night, targeting oil refineries, naval vessels and increasingly the Moscow region.

This week, Russia was forced to suspend traffic through the gateway to the Black Sea from occupied Ukrainian territory after dozens of ships were targeted by Ukrainian drones.

Fedorov also said he had also introduced “an unpopular but extremely important transformation of the military: contracts for all personnel with fixed terms of service … and the introduction of some of the world’s highest salaries for infantry and assault troops.”

Fedorov said there was much more to be done to reform the military and procurement.

“We needed to be even more decisive in letting go of those who were holding back the change,” he said.

Pavlo Yelizarov, Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force and a renowned drone unit commander, submitted his resignation in protest at the decision, saying Fedorov’s removal was a “great evil for the country’s defense capability.”

Hundreds of people, mostly young, gathered in Kyiv Thursday to protest Fedorov’s departure. Several people CNN spoke with said it made no sense, with one noting that he was “the person who introduced the technology that allowed drones to do most of the fighting instead of people.”

The latest Russian strikes killed two people in Kyiv, including a teenager, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

June was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, the United Nations said this week – an increase driven by long-range Russian missiles that have struck urban residential buildings.

Zelensky has repeatedly pleaded with allies to provide more support in bolstering Ukraine’s depleted air defenses – including the tentative go-ahead from the US to manufacture its own Patriot interceptors, the only weapon that can take down some of Russia’s most advanced ballistic missiles.

As reported by CNN