Just when the wind seems to be blowing in favor of Ukraine in the war, Volodymyr Zelensky has shot himself in the foot with a political move that has sparked popular outrage.
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The Ukrainian president has decided to dismiss his defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who had been in office for just over six months and was seen by many as the main architect of the country’s recent military successes. He is credited with key measures such as the commitment to the massive use of medium and long-range drones and the blocking of the Russian army’s access to the Starlink satellite internet service.
No one understands why Zelensky wants to get rid of such a capable official, especially at this very sensitive moment, in the midst of a campaign of harassment against Moscow. The anger is such that, this Thursday, mass demonstrations were held in Kyiv and other cities across the country demanding a reversal.
“Bring back Fedorov,” “Don’t touch what works,” or “What a shame!” were some of the slogans that could be read on the banners carried by the protesters.
The dismissal took place on Wednesday night, as part of a deep government reshuffle that includes the departure of the current prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, who will be replaced by Sergiy Koretsky, president of the gas company Naftogaz.
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Fedorov himself confirmed his departure in a lengthy message on social media in which he reviewed his achievements and pending tasks – the most urgent being “to complete the organizational transformation of the Ministry of Defense according to NATO standards” –.
In his post, the outgoing minister did not detail the reasons for his dismissal, but everything points to a power struggle behind Zelensky’s decision.
According to the Ukrainian press, since taking office in January, Fedorov had maintained a very tense relationship with the military leadership. The generals did not look favorably on the modernization plans of this young 35-year-old minister, an expert in new technologies and well connected with Silicon Valley. While Fedorov bet everything on drones and digitalization, the military high command demanded that other more traditional aspects of war not be neglected. The minister’s great nemesis in that battle was said to be Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Furthermore, Fedorov had made numerous (and dangerous) enemies among the contractors of the arms industry. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense controls a huge budget – this year, it amounts to nearly 100 billion dollars – and everyone wants a piece of the pie, which leads to malpractice. Fedorov wanted contracts to stop being awarded by favoritism, to avoid corruption and reduce costs, and instead proposed a fully transparent model based on public tenders. A proposal that did not please those who benefited from the traditional system.
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