Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has faced severe pressure over his decision to dismiss the country's defense minister: thousands of people in Kyiv have protested, a high-ranking Air Force commander has resigned, and deputies of the ruling party have stated that there are not enough votes to approve the new defense minister candidate.
Modern.az reports that Financial Times wrote about this.
It is noted that the discontent that arose has become one of the most serious public protests against Zelensky since Russia's large-scale invasion in 2022. The events have also revealed rare disagreements within the presidential parliamentary majority. However, the ruling party has largely supported Zelensky's leadership during the war and approved his cabinet candidates until now.
At the heart of the discontent is the removal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Fedorov is known for his activities related to accelerating arms supplies, increasing drone production, and reforming the ministry, which has long been considered opaque and bureaucratic.
The innovative use of mass-produced drones by the ministry he led is considered one of the factors that have helped slow the advance of the larger and better-resourced Russian army in recent months.
Fedorov was appointed defense minister in January. But Zelensky told deputies that the 35-year-old minister and Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrsky, could not overcome their disagreements and work together.
Representatives of the defense industry, high-ranking Ukrainian officials, deputies from Zelensky's party, and other individuals familiar with the matter also stated that Fedorov was an obstacle to interest groups seeking to profit from Ukraine's large war budget.
“Currently, there are not enough votes”
As of Thursday morning, it remained uncertain whether deputies would vote for the new cabinet.
Deputies of the ruling party told the Financial Times that the situation in parliament was “at a breaking point” and that many deputies had decided not to vote for the president's new candidate for defense minister, Ihor Klymenko.
“Currently, there are not enough votes,” one deputy said.
Deputy Nikita Poturayev resigned in protest.
Zelensky is currently negotiating with his chief of staff to find a way out of the crisis.
The protests come about a year after Zelensky tried to limit the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies and subordinate them to his chosen prosecutor general. At that time, parliament approved the legislation but was forced to backtrack after public protests and the first mass demonstrations since the start of the large-scale war.
This time, however, the main target of the discontent is Zelensky himself.
On Thursday, demonstrators gathered in front of the president's office, in the same square where they forced Zelensky to change his decision last year. They held up posters demanding Fedorov be kept in office, chanting “Fe-do-rov!”, “We are not fools!” and “Shame on you!”
Ksana Nechyporenko, a demonstrator working in Ukraine's drone industry, said:
“This is what happens when you take away people's hope.”
Pavlo Yelizarov, a well-known drone unit commander, also resigned from his position as deputy head of the Air Force in protest. He stated that the decision to remove Fedorov would be “a great damage to the country's defense capability.”
Why did Zelensky make the decision?
The Ukrainian parliament was also expected to vote for a new prime minister on Thursday as part of a large-scale government reshuffle. This is Zelensky's third large-scale cabinet change in a year.
Serhiy Koretsky, head of the state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz, has been nominated for the post of prime minister. He is considered a capable manager who helped Ukraine get through last winter under difficult conditions.
However, the discontent over Fedorov's removal has also called these plans into question.
Deputy Vadym Halaychuk stated that Zelensky said Fedorov had entered into a conflict with the military command and that this problem had not been resolved through mediation.
Another deputy from Zelensky's party, who attended a meeting with the president, said:
“Fedorov and Syrsky were not talking to each other. It is impossible for the defense minister and the country's highest-ranking general not to talk to each other during a war.”
According to another deputy, Zelensky also blamed Fedorov for failing to reform the mobilization system, which has become an extremely sensitive political issue in Ukraine. The harsh conscription policy has caused widespread public discontent.
Another deputy from the ruling party called the situation “very sad” and stated that it damaged the image of the new government.
Deputies also described Prime Minister candidate Serhiy Koretsky's speech in parliament as “soulless and weak,” a “collection of empty slogans and general phrases.”
