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Fedorov dismissed, protests
Ukrainians took to the streets of Kyiv on Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov in a surprise shake-up, with CNBC reporting that more than a thousand people rallied in Kyiv's central square waving Ukrainian and European Union flags.
Fedorov, who confirmed his dismissal on Wednesday in a social media post saying it had been a "great honor to serve the Ukrainian people," had served as defense minister for six months and was seen as an advocate of Ukraine's drone warfare.
CNBC said the move followed Ukraine's parliament accepting the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko after just a year in office, and it reported that Serhiy Koretsky, CEO of Naftogaz, was nominated as the next prime minister by parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.
In Kyiv, protesters also demanded that Fedorov be brought back, with Dmytro Koziatynskyi calling on people to come out at 9:01 a.m. to Franko Square and show the president they were "against constant reshuffles in the government and replacing effective ministers with convenient opportunists."
The shake-up came as Zelenskyy announced Sunday that "Ukraine is changing its political strategy," assigning each priority area of foreign policy to a specific person with substantial experience capable of implementing what leaders agree on and what "the Ukrainian people expect."
Syrskyi clash and quotes
Fedorov’s dismissal triggered fury and protests, with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty saying hundreds of people rallied outside President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s offices in Kyiv on July 16, a day after the sacking was announced.
In his first public comments since the ouster, Fedorov told reporters that "all the initiatives we proposed began to be blocked" and that Syrskiy was "not prepared to openly discuss these problems face to face."
RFE/RL reported that General Oleksandr Syrskiy, appointed Ukraine's top commander in 2024, showed no signs of any clash and thanked Fedorov for his work, saying "I hope he remains part of the Ukrainian team."
NPR reported that Zelenskyy acknowledged the tension between Syrsky and Fedorov and said they couldn't work together unless he was the mediator, adding "I wanted unity very much," and that "The sides did not find it."
NPR also said Zelenskyy appointed Yevhen Khmara, who currently leads Ukraine's security service, as acting defense minister, and it reported that protests were expected to continue on Friday demanding Zelenskyy reappoint Fedorov.
War stakes and next steps
The reshuffle unfolded as Ukraine’s battlefield posture and drone campaign remained central to the political fight, with CNBC describing how Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and military assets, including targeting high-profile oil refineries in major cities.
NPR said Fedorov’s tenure coincided with a dramatic shift in Ukraine's favor on the battlefield and quoted Fedorov warning that "We can't keep going on what worked back then," as he defended his ministry’s accomplishments.
RFE/RL reported that Ukraine’s parliament approved Serhiy Koretskiy as prime minister on July 16 and that the next parliamentary session is scheduled for August 18, while it said the vote did not include new defense and foreign ministers proposed by the president.
CNBC reported that Zelenskyy’s shakeup marks Ukraine's fourth government reshuffle since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022, and it said Zelenskyy had previously described preparing for winter and bolstering efforts to secure a ceasefire as immediate government priorities.
In Moscow, the Kremlin played down the importance of the dismissal, with NPR quoting Dmitry Peskov saying "It doesn't make any difference who the defense minister is," and adding that what matters is someone in Kyiv prepared to make a decision that would allow a peaceful settlement.
