Dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov
Dismissal of a Minister of Defence of Ukraine
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On 15 July 2026, Mykhailo Fedorov, the twentieth Minister of Defence of Ukraine, was dismissed from his position by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The dismissal was officially part of a wider cabinet reshuffle being conducted by Zelenksyy for the new Koretskyi Government, but as was widely reported including by Fedorov and Zelenskyy, infighting between Fedorov and others in the national government played a major role. The dismissal caused significant backlash across Ukraine, resulting in a series protests and resignations by others in government in the immediate aftermath.
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- Cabinet reshuffle for the new Koretskyi Government
- Infighting between Fedorov and others in the national government
- Corruption (alleged)
- Spontaneous protests across Ukrainian cities in support of Fedorov
- Resignation of Ukrainian officials in solidarity, including Pavlo Yelizarov, Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force
- Negative commentary on Zelenskyy by political analysts and politicians
| Dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov | |
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| Date | 15 July 2026 |
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Since assuming the position as Minister of Defence in January 2026, Fedorov had been regarded as popular among Ukrainian soldiers and the public for what was deemed as his effective implementation of new cyber and drone warfare policy, and other policy combatting government bureaucracy. His beliefs, however, often clashed with others in the national government, including Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Their differences grew to a point where the two allegedly only cooperated under the mediation of Zelenskyy, according to Zelenskyy. Reportedly pressured to end tensions, Zelenskyy unexpectedly dismissed Fedorov on 15 July, replacing him with Major-General Yevhenii Khmara as the acting minister until a replacement could be elected.
In response to the sudden decision, protests took place across several Ukrainian cities in support of Fedorov, including in the capital Kyiv where over a thousand gathered near the Office of the President of Ukraine demanding Fedorov's return. Pavlo Yelizarov, the Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, and other Ukrainian officials resigned from their positions the following day in solidarity. Commentary in support of Fedorov was made by several politicians including Ukrainian parliament member Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, EU commissioner Andrius Kubilius, former US ambassador Michael McFaul, and other political analysts and activists. Many of the prior listed also questioned Zelenskyy and his government's leadership in their statements.
Background
Mykhailo Fedorov had been the Minister of Defence of Ukraine since January 2026.[1] Previously, he had worked as a social media marketer for Zelenskyy during his successful campaign in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election, as the first Minister of Digital Transformation which oversaw the launch of government web portal Diia,[2] and as founder of the IT Army of Ukraine upon the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3] While Minister of Defence, Fedorov was described as a "technocrat"[4] and "reformist", and was credited with producing considerable progress towards making Ukraine's military more efficient[3] and modernized, especially in the fields of cyber and drone warfare.[1] Despite falling short of his pledge to effectively combat the Ukrainian conscription crisis and reform recruitment,[3] Fedorov has been regarded as an effective government official[4] and popular among Ukrainian soldiers and the public,[1] with a June 2026 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology ranking Fedorov as one of the public's most trusted figures.[2]
Fedorov's insistence on government reform has on several occasions differed from that of others in the national government and led to tension.[3][2][4] In particular, Fedorov clashed with Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, across multiple issues—once stating that Syrskyi's policies were "splitting our country" that should otherwise be united in defeating Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian war.[1] Fedorov later stated that he had asked Zelenskyy to replace both Syrskyi and Andrii Hnatov, the Chief of the General Staff.[1] During a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Zelenskyy commented on the situation, stating that tensions had grown to a point where Fedorov and Syrskyi only cooperated when under his mediation.[1]
Throughout mid-July 2026, Zelenskyy began a cabinet reshuffle of several major government positions, beginning with the appointment of Serhii Koretskyi, CEO of the state oil and gas company Naftogaz, as the next Prime Minister of Ukraine after the resignation of Yulia Svyrydenko a week prior.[1] As such, all members appointed in the reshuffle would be part of the new Koretskyi Government.[1]
Dismissal
I would very much like to see unity. The sides have not found it. And the problem lies not only with the sides, but with me as well. But things are as they are. And in such a situation, you have a choice: either one side or the other.
On 15 July 2026, Zelenskyy unexpectedly announced the dismissal of Fedorov, officially as part of his wider cabinet reshuffle.[6][3][1] Major-General Yevhenii Khmara, the former head of Alpha Group of the Security Service of Ukraine, was named by Zelenskyy as the acting Minister of Defence until parliament votes on a replacement.[3] In a post on X, Zelenskyy commented that Khmara had "unprecedented experience with technological combat operations", and supported the notion of him becoming the formal replacement, noting however that Ihor Klymenko, the outgoing Minister of Internal Affairs, was also a candidate.[3] Zelenskyy reportedly offered Fedorov an advisory position in the Koretskyi Government, which he rejected.[7]
During a media brief following his dismissal, Fedorov stated that Zelenskyy had felt pressured to choose between him or Syrskyi, concluding by stating "we will win with this commander-in-chief".[7] UA.NEWS, in an analysis following the media brief, concluded by stating that Fedorov's dismissal was a political move by Zelenskyy to resolve tensions, and that because "sacrificing Syrskyi was too risky, [...] Fedorov was made the scapegoat".[4] Fedorov followed up with a post on Facebook listing his achievements, and vowed to continue fighting against Russia.[1]
Reactions
Domestic
The decision to remove Fedorov was met with considerable backlash across Ukraine, with spontaneous protests occurring in the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Lutsk, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Vinnytsia, and Zhytomyr on 16 July,[8][9] something noted as uncommon during the Russo-Ukrainian War.[3] In the capital Kyiv, more than a thousand protesters gathered outside near the Office of the President of Ukraine to call for the return of Fedorov: chanting "Shame!", and carrying signs with phrases including "For what?", "Hands off Fedorov", "Stop sabotaging victory!", and "The Russians are celebrating".[1][3] Protests continued into 17 July near the Office of the President of Ukraine, demanding the removal of Syrskyi instead of Fedorov.[10]
Pavlo Yelizarov, the Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, resigned from his position in protest of Fedorov's removal, calling the decision a "great evil for the country's defence capability".[1] Serhii Sternenko, a Ukrainian activist and advisor to Fedorov, also stated his resignation as an advisor in the Ministry of Defence in solidarity.[6] Sternenko further called Fedorov the "best minister of defence in our entire history", and reprimanded government bureaucracy which prevented further reform from happening.[1][5] Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, a parliament member and opposition lawmaker, strongly opposed the dismissal, stating that Fedorov was only removed as he tried to combat "Syrskyi, the old army system, and everybody who is linked with corruption in the military sphere", further stating that "Zelensky chooses Klymenko because he has no ambition [...] and is not going to combat post-Soviet generals. He is 100% a person who Zelensky needs in this position".[6] Iryna Herashchenko, a parliament member of the opposition party European Solidarity, questioned Zelenskyy's decision and called Fedorov his "only sensible appointment".[5] Dmytro Kozatskyi, a fighter in the Azov Brigade and recipient of the Medal "For Military Service to Ukraine", posted on X it was "no longer possible to tolerate what's happening with our government", and urged Ukrainians to join in peaceful protests.[6][11] Sergiy Sydorenko, a Ukrainian journalist and editor-in-chief of European Pravda, compared the dismissal to Zelenskyy's attempt to remove anti-corruption bodies last year, also resulting in a series of protests.[6] His decision to go through with both measures, however necessary, was regarded as having "devastating consequences for trust" from the public.[6] Volodymyr Fesenko, a Ukrainian political scientist, noted harm in replacing such a major position after only half a year and opposed the dismissal from happening.[6] Denys Davydov, a Ukrainian citizen journalist who operates the most-subscribed YouTube channel by an individual on the Russo-Ukrainian war, called the decision the "worst thing for Ukraine" in a thirty-minute video.[12] Several Ukrainian businessmen: including Garik Korogodsky, Kostiantyn Yefymenko, and Oleg Gorokhovskyi, also made statements online in support Fedorov.[13]
International
Dmitry Peskov, Russian diplomat and Kremlin Press Secretary, stated the dismissal does not affect Russia unless the replacement is someone willing to "make the responsible decision [and allow] a peaceful settlement",[14] further stating that they were monitoring the situation.[3] Russian military bloggers responded more positively to the dismissal, noting Fedorov's effectiveness and how his removal could help Russia on the frontline.[15] Other milbloggers spread conspiracy theories that the dismissal was to prevent Fedorov from becoming too powerful and usurping Zelenskyy.[15] This notion was at least partially supported by the Qatari-based media outlet Al Jazeera and UK-based The Guardian, which both noted that the decision to dismiss Fedorov could be an attempt by Zelenkyy to remove a future political rival.[15][16]
Andrius Kubilius, Lithuanian politician and the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, stated the announcement came as a surprise to the European Union (EU) and raised concerns,[4] as the EU just hours prior had negotiated a deal with Ukraine to increase their production of drones.[14] Michael McFaul, the former United States ambassador to Russia, issued a statement directed towards Zelenskyy urging for the return of Fedorov.[5] Alex Karp, American billionaire and CEO of Palantir, reportedly sent Fedorov a supportive message and offered him a job which Fedorov declined.[2][14]