Ukrainians reacted with fury to the abrupt ouster of Mykhaylo Fedorov, the tech-minded defense minister whose embrace of drone warfare innovation for many signaled a break from old-school military thinking and shady business interests.Hundreds of people rallied outside of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s offices in Kyiv on July 16, a day after Fedorov’s sacking was announced. The deputy commander of Ukraine's Air Force announced his resignation in protest, along with two well-known outside ministry advisers.In his first public comments since his dismissal, Fedorov confirmed that a long-rumored clash with Ukraine’s top military commander, General Oleksandr Syrskiy, was the main cause for his ouster."We ran into a situation where all the initiatives we proposed began to be blocked. And Syrskiy, despite all the problems we've discussed today, was not prepared to openly discuss these problems face to face,” Fedorov told reporters.
"Instead of figuring out how to defeat Russia asymmetrically -- which is the commander-in-chief's task -- he figured out how to divide the country we are all living in today. And that's a major problem,” he added.Syrskiy, a veteran officer who was appointed Ukraine's top commander in 2024, showed no signs of any clash, thanking Fedorov for his work."I hope he remains part of the Ukrainian team," he added in comments posted on social media.In a speech on July 16, Zelenskyy confirmed that Fedorov and Syrskiy had clashed on unspecified issues. He said he wanted Fedorov to remain in the administration in some capacity; Fedorov earlier said he had declined an offer to become a presidential adviser."During a war a president shouldn't have to make such a choice. I'd really prefer unity. But the parties didn't find it. And this is not only the problem of the parties, but also mine," he said.He declined to say whom he would nominate to replace Fedorov; outgoing Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko is one of several names that have circulating in Ukrainian media and political circles over the previous day.Serhiy Koretskiy, the chief executive of Naftogaz, the country’s largest state-owned oil and gas company, was approved by parliament on July 16 as the next prime minister.Serhiy Marchenko retained his post as finance minister in the new cabinet, but the vote by lawmakers did not include new defense and foreign ministers, who are proposed by the president. The next parliamentary session is scheduled for August 18.
