Zelensky ousts Defence Minister Fedorov in Ukrainian government reshuffle

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KYIV — Mykhailo Fedorov, credited with bringing a technology overhaul to Ukraine’s military but also clashing with top generals, is out as the country’s defense minister in a government reshuffle launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The government resigned earlier this week, and Zelenskyy will not submit Fedorov’s name as the next defense minister, an MP from the ruling Servant of the People party told POLITICO after a faction meeting on Wednesday.

“The reasons are obvious: conflict with army command and failed military mobilization reform,” the MP said on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal political issues. They added that they supported Zelenskyy’s decision, saying: “Fedorov did only an imitation of reforms, just slides.”

Fedorov confirmed he is stepping down in a Facebook post.

“I will continue to work for the mission with which I came to the ministry of defense earlier — to defeat the enemy through asymmetry, speed of innovation, and organizational strength,” Fedorov said.

Fedorov, 35, had only been in the post for half a year and was seen as a reformer who brought private-sector speed and decisiveness to Ukraine’s military. But his efforts to slash corruption, revamp the tendering process and boost Ukraine’s drone technology clashed with the approach of the commander in chief, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi.

“Zelenskyy said he cannot choose between Fedorov and Syrskyi, and said Fedorov was the one who failed mobilization reform,” Yaroslav Zhelezhyak, an MP with the opposition Holos party, said in a post on Facebook Wednesday, describing the decision as “stupid and unfair.”

In the six months he was in office Fedorov persuaded Elon Musk’s SpaceX to switch off Starlink terminals being used by the Russian military, creating chaos for the Kremlin’s forces. He also helped push the mid-range strike campaign that uses drones to hit targets up to 100 kilometers behind the front lines, disrupting Russian logistics and slowing the Kremlin’s territorial gains.

Fedorov, who previously served as the digital transformation minister, used his tech background to introduce an after-action review after Russian attacks, something that helped the Ukrainian air force improve its drone interception rate.

However, Ukraine was unable to source enough interceptor missiles for its Patriot air defense batteries, allowing more Russian ballistic missiles to hit Ukrainian cities.

Last month Fedorov launched a military service reform that would pay frontline troops more, allow more foreign volunteers to serve, and make it easier for the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have dodged military service to return to their units. But Ukraine has long had difficulty in mobilizing enough men to fight, and his reforms didn’t dramatically alter the situation.

His moves also brought him into conflict with Syrskyi and other senior generals, while many officials found him arrogant and difficult to work with.

“Misha promised a lot and did not fulfill his ambitious promises so far,” said one senior Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “And he does not want to hear objective criticism. He’s a bit authoritarian.”

Fedorov is a long-time ally of Zelenskyy, playing a key role in his 2019 presidential campaign, but in recent weeks the president appeared to have cooled on him. Fedorov did not accompany Zelenskyy to last week’s NATO summit in Ankara and was also absent at this week’s meeting of the Coalition of the Willing of Kyiv’s key backers.

Still, Fedorov also has allies.

“The appointment of Fedorov to the defense ministry was one of the wisest decisions the president has made. Firing Fedorov will be one of his biggest mistakes. A fatal mistake … it will cost us dearly,” said Maria Berlinska, a prominent Ukrainian military volunteer.

His supporters plan to protest in Kyiv on Thursday.

Zelenskyy launched the reshuffle — his third as president — on Sunday with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepping down and the full Cabinet resigning.

Current Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko is the likeliest candidate to become defense minister in a new government Zelenskyy is planning to submit to the parliament on Thursday.

Fedorov spoke with POLITICO last month, calling on Ukraine’s allies to speed up aid and warning that otherwise Kyiv might lose the initiative it has gained since the start of this year.

“It is very important to give all resources to Ukraine so it can stop Russia. And we will do our homework,” Fedorov said.