PoliticsJuly 15, 2026 8:15 pm (Updated: July 15, 2026 8:22 pm) • 1 min readDefense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov attends the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Jan. 14, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Andrii Nesterenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)Editor's Note: This is a developing story.President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister, according to a Ukrainian official familiar with the matter who spoke to the Kyiv Independent.Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has been offered to become Ukraine's next defense minister, a lawmaker from the governing Servant of the People party told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.It remains unclear whether Fedorov will be appointed to another role within the Ukrainian government.The decision follows a meeting between Zelensky, Fedorov, and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, during which were to discuss key challenges facing Ukraine's military, including mobilization.Asked by journalists about Fedorov's possible dismissal, Zelensky declined to comment directly, saying only that he wants Ukraine's military to be "united" and "on the same page.""The priority is dialogue between the army and the Defense Ministry, solving the problems of (recruitment), and closing the sky," he said, while confirming the meeting.