Initial anger over the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov has grown into widespread criticism of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s handling of the military, with demonstrators calling for sweeping changes at the top.
Zelenskyy is now working to defuse a growing rift between the reform‑oriented, tech‑savvy former defence minister, who enjoys broad support from the military and civil society, and the army chief leading Ukraine’s war effort.
Reshuffle gone wrong
On 12 July Zelenskyy unveiled a sweeping cabinet reshuffle. With nationwide elections suspended under martial law amid Russia’s full‑scale invasion, a cabinet overhaul is his primary tool for political renewal.
Speculation about the prime minister’s possible resignation had circulated for weeks, but Euronews sources originally anticipated the shake‑up in late August or early autumn. Yet, just five days before the first anniversary of Yulia Svyrydenko’s government, she was removed from office.
The dismissal of Svyrydenko and the swift appointment of Sergii Koretskyi as Ukraine’s new prime minister barely registered in public debate, but the defence portfolio sparked an uproar.
On Thursday lawmakers approved an almost entirely new wartime cabinet and confirmed Koretskyi’s nomination—a move widely viewed as logical given his record as chief executive of state energy giant Naftogaz and his crisis‑management roles at Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta.
Inside parliament, Koretskyi pledged to concentrate on defence, economic stability and EU integration.
Outside, thousands of demonstrators made clear that the real contest over who controls the armed forces—and how—has only just begun.
Defence ministry scandal
If the top‑level changes fit Zelenskyy’s familiar pattern of appointing technocratic managers to steady the wartime economy, the turmoil at the defence ministry has opened a far more volatile front.
Protests in Kyiv and other cities have continued into a second day with no sign of abating, as crowds demand a deeper overhaul of the top military command and condemn the ousting of the young defence minister.
Mykhailo Fedorov, hailed as the face of a new generation of tech‑driven reformers, went all‑in at a bombshell press conference on Thursday after his dismissal, accusing commander‑in‑chief Oleksandr Syrskyi of obstructing military reform, fuelling divisions and “splitting the country.”
He told reporters that Zelenskyy had chosen to keep Syrskyi over him.
On Friday, presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn praised Fedorov’s performance.
“It was a really great press conference, and if government officials communicated openly and clearly at this level more often, it would make things easier for all of us here,” he told reporters in the WhatsApp chat.
But Lytvyn still did not explain why Fedorov was dismissed, referring instead to “a lot of sensitive issues.”
“Once all the changes have been implemented, we’ll provide more detail,” he told journalists.
No comment from the presidential office
Since rumours of the reshuffle began to circulate, a WhatsApp group linked to the president’s office has been active, yet dozens of questions from Ukrainian and international media have gone unanswered as the changes were pushed through.
Even the news of Fedorov’s dismissal came from the minister himself, not from Zelenskyy, the man responsible for the move.
On Thursday evening, Ukraine’s president announced the appointment of the head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), Yevhenii Khmara, as acting minister of defence.
Speaking to journalists in the presidential WhatsApp chat on Friday, adviser Lytvyn sought to justify Khmara’s appointment and the chaotic rollout.
“What’s driving things at the moment are long‑ and mid‑range strikes,” he said, adding that “Khmara is really brilliant at this.”
He did not respond to follow‑up questions on why Fedorov was dismissed from his role as one of the architects of Ukraine’s successful strike campaign.
What now?
The last‑minute choice of an acting defence minister from the security services further reinforced a perception that Zelenskyy might be insulating himself and his team from scrutiny rather than confronting frustrations about strategy, mobilisation and conditions at the front.
In trying to assert control over the defence establishment, Zelenskyy has boxed himself into a political crisis.
He almost certainly did not anticipate the scale of the backlash over Fedorov’s removal and now finds his options narrowed.
Reinstating Fedorov would be read as a personal climbdown and risks deepening the rift with Syrskyi, the top army boss, but pressing ahead with a new acting minister while protests mount could cement a narrative of a president deaf and blind to wartime public opinion.
Demonstrators’ demands have already moved beyond the fate of one popular minister to calls for a “total overhaul” of the top military command.
Lessons of last summer protests
For many, the scenes outside the presidential office this week evoke memories of last summer’s protests.
In July 2025, Zelenskyy’s attempt to bring the National Anti‑Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti‑Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under tighter control triggered the largest street protests since the full‑scale invasion, as activists, corruption watchdogs and ordinary citizens rallied against a law they said would damage the agencies’ independence.
Back then, the EU issued an unusually sharp rebuke, warning of “a serious step back” for Ukraine’s accession prospects, while NABU and SAPO themselves publicly sounded the alarm.
Under mounting pressure from civil society and European partners, Zelenskyy was forced into a U‑turn, submitting new legislation described as restoring “full‑fledged guarantees of the independence of anti‑corruption agencies,” which parliament then passed to reinstate their autonomy.
Drawing on hard‑won experience from Maidan and decades of protest politics, Ukraine’s seasoned civil society knows that sustained, organised pressure—especially when backed by international allies—can force the president to rethink even the most contentious decisions.
As it stands, they have very little incentive to disperse before their demands regarding Ukraine’s military and political leadership are answered.
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