Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets of Kyiv and other cities on Thursday to protest President Volodymyr Zelensky’s removal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after only six months in office. Wartime protests are rare in Ukraine.
Following the resignation of presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak amid an anti-corruption investigation in November 2025, Fedorov offered the Zelensky administration a useful reformist face at a moment of political crisis. He entered the Defense Ministry in January after building his reputation as the architect of Ukraine’s digital government and as a top official behind the expanding defense-technology sector. During his tenure in office, the ministry purchased more drones. It also developed improved fiber-optic FPV drones, interceptor drones, ground robots, and long-range strike systems, and worked with Starlink to block Russian forces from using the network. Fedorov further distinguished himself by implementing the first stage of a broader military restructuring, including Ukraine’s transition toward corps-level command. The reform was intended to give brigades more permanent operational structures and improve coordination between infantry, artillery, drones, logistics, and intelligence.
Yet, Fedorov’s record, popularity, and growing international reputation inevitably generated speculation that he might eventually develop political ambitions of his own. There is no public evidence that this was the reason for his dismissal. But in a highly politicized, centralized system, even the perception of an independent political profile can become a liability. The Defense Ministry also carried obvious political risks for Fedorov. Successes such as persuading Elon Musk to restrict Russian access to Starlink were highly visible, but the job also placed him in charge of far more difficult problems: mobilization, addressing military exhaustion, handling major contracts, and grappling with government institutions that have a strong interest in preserving existing practices. Instead of burying Fedorov politically, however, the job strengthened his association with success. Russian advances have slowed, while Ukrainian drones have struck refineries and military targets deep inside Russia to increasing effect.
Some observers have interpreted the dispute primarily through the lens of corruption and control over defense spending. “This is a clash between the interests of two teams, and to a degree it relates to money,” an informed Ukrainian source told me. But the conflict may also be about power and ambition, including the unease created by Fedorov’s growing political profile.
Fedorov’s relationship with Zelensky had at times become strained, according to a senior-level source familiar with the situation, particularly when Yermak was a dominant influence in the presidential office. “Fedorov believes if we make radical changes in the army, become innovative without any stops and have proper financial support, we will build a line of drones,” the source said, turning Ukraine into “a fortress country.”
This time, the immediate reason stated by the president himself appears to have been Fedorov’s deteriorating relationship with the military’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Syrskyi played a central role in the defense of Kyiv and remains one of Ukraine’s most experienced wartime commanders. Fedorov argued that parts of the military leadership were slowing reforms, concealing failures, and resisting greater civilian oversight. “I wanted unity very much. The sides did not find it. And that is not only their problem, but mine as well,” Zelensky said. But by removing Fedorov, the president effectively sided with Ukraine’s old guard.
The significance of the Fedorov case extends beyond the fate of one minister.
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It touches a deeper strain of cynicism among Ukraine’s political class: the assumption that institutions cannot truly be transformed, that corruption and informal arrangements are permanent features of government, and that those who promise otherwise are politically naive. That outlook is prevalent across much of the post-Soviet space, especially in Russia.
But it is also part of what Ukraine is fighting against in this war.