Ukraine's Zelensky drops popular defense minister Fedorov, sparking Kyiv protests and calls for army chief's ouster

Conflict at the top

President Volodymyr Zelensky informed lawmakers from his Servant of the People party on 15 July that he would not renominate Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister. The reason, according to Ukrainska Pravda, is a deep and unresolved conflict between Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrsky, as well as other military commanders. Fedorov confirmed the rift during a briefing on 16 July.

Syrski, considering all the problems we talked about today, is not ready to talk about these problems personally, face to face.

Fedorov added that every initiative proposed by him and his team was blocked by the general. He went further, calling for a change at the top of the armed forces.

If we want to win asymmetrically, with minimal losses, we should change the commander-in-chief and the chief of the General Staff.

Fedorov said Zelensky has not yet sided with Syrsky and expressed hope the situation would be corrected.

Protests in Kyiv

On the morning of 16 July, thousands gathered in front of the Ivan Franko National Drama Theater in central Kyiv, one of the closest public spaces to the sealed-off government district. Demonstrators chanted "Stop destroying everything," "Fedorov our defense minister," "Shame," "Bring back Fedorov," "Resignation for Syrsky," and "Syrsky is a devil." Banners carried messages such as "Does an effective minister hinder corruption?," "Since when has effectiveness become a sentence?," and "Don't fire effective ministers during war."

A 47-year-old soldier using the call sign "Yeti" attended to support Fedorov and oppose Syrsky. He noted that Syrsky's contract expires in a week and said the general "acts exactly like the Russians." Yeti argued that Fedorov was the only person capable of starting the mobilization reform that Ukraine needed as early as 2015. A 36-year-old protester named Stas said he believed the protest would bring results.

Resignation and political fallout

Pavlo Yelizarov, a military officer, announced his resignation from the Armed Forces in a Facebook post, attaching an official letter.

Unfortunately, in the fifth year of the war, I resigned from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I believe that the dismissal of M. Fedorov is a great evil for the country's defense capabilities. Glory to Ukraine!

Former Polish ambassador to Ukraine Jan Piekło told Fakt that the move will negatively affect Zelensky's support because Fedorov is very popular. Piekło described Zelensky as "lost" and entangled in a series of problems, including a conflict with Polish President Karol Nawrocki and the Order of the White Eagle affair. He noted that the 35-year-old Fedorov represents a younger generation than Zelensky and has a reputation for fighting corruption and introducing innovations in the army, particularly in unmanned systems.

New government takes shape

Parliament approved Serhiy Koretsky as the new prime minister on 16 July with 289 votes in the 450-seat chamber. The dismissal of the previous prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, on 14 July is widely seen as a smokescreen for the more controversial removal of Fedorov. Ihor Klymenko, the current interior minister, is expected to become the next defense minister. Fedorov confirmed he will not serve in Koretsky's cabinet and revealed he turned down an offer to become a presidential advisor.

Fedorov's next move

Fedorov, who was appointed defense minister on 14 January 2026 after serving as first deputy prime minister and digital transformation minister, posted on Telegram that it was "a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as defense minister" and promised "to be continued." On Facebook he wrote that he would keep working for the mission of defeating the enemy "through asymmetry, speed of innovation and strength of organization." He said he believes the president hears the Ukrainian people and hopes the situation will be corrected.