Italy offers dismissed Ukraine defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov a Rome advisor post after sacking sparks protests
Guido Crosetto called Mykhailo Fedorov the day after President Zelensky dismissed him, offering an advisor position and promising new arms deliveries to Kyiv. Fedorov saw it as a gesture of friendship.
Dismissal sparks protests
Mykhailo Fedorov, 35, was dismissed as Ukraine’s defence minister on 24 July after just six months in office. He was the fourth person to hold the post since Russia’s full-scale invasion began over four years ago. The sacking, part of a wider cabinet reshuffle by President Volodymyr Zelensky, immediately brought protesters onto the streets of Kyiv demanding his reinstatement. Reports from Berlin, cited by Spiegel, also described outrage there. Fedorov refused all alternative government positions that Zelensky proposed to him, according to La Libre.be. The reshuffle also led to the removal of many other ministers, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, with whom Fedorov had repeatedly clashed, was dismissed as well.
War record and popularity
A former minister of digital transformation, Fedorov had become one of Ukraine’s most popular officials by driving innovation in drone warfare and tackling corruption. He revolutionised the country’s use of unmanned systems, which earned him public trust. Guido Crosetto, the Italian defence minister, later remarked that Fedorov had completely turned the rules of the battlefield on their head. Nevertheless, persistent conflicts with senior military leaders marked his short ministerial tenure.
Italy’s surprise offer
On the day after the dismissal, Crosetto telephoned Fedorov. In an interview with the daily La Repubblica, Crosetto said he asked:
When would you like to come to Rome to work as an advisor with me?
Crosetto described Fedorov as an exceptionally innovative politician. He added that Fedorov was moved and understood the call as a gesture of esteem and friendship.
He was touched and understood that this was a sign of my esteem and friendship.
No concrete plans for the proposed advisory role have yet been made. Crosetto, a leading figure in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Fratelli d’Italia party, also used the interview to announce fresh weapons deliveries to Kyiv. He argued that the same resistance to innovation Fedorov confronted exists in Italy, Germany and France, and that those who look forward recognise that innovation advances at frightening speed.
Political backdrop
Zelensky’s reshuffle ousted numerous ministers, signalling inner tensions within the wartime administration. The army chief, frequently at odds with Fedorov, was also replaced. Fedorov’s refusal of alternative posts and the public protests reflect his standing. Italy’s informal offer, meanwhile, reinforces Rome’s position as a steadfast EU ally of Ukraine.
