Zelenskyy removed the Minister of Defense precisely when, according to many Western media outlets, the war began to turn in Ukraine’s favor.
Mykhailo Fedorov / © Associated Press
Former Ukrainian Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov faced strong opposition from military leadership due to his reforms, despite successes in developing drone technology and digitizing the army.
This is reported by The Economist.
Fedorov began his tenure as Minister of Defense with an audit that revealed overspending of 300 billion UAH and made ministry officials undergo lie detector tests.
“His first six months in office were characterized by hyperactivity and a zeal that drove many to distraction. From the outset, he ordered an audit of the Ministry of Defense and army brigades, which uncovered overspending of 300 billion hryvnias ($6.6 billion). He tested ministry officials with lie detectors; those who refused or failed were dismissed,” the publication writes about Mykhailo Fedorov.
Among Fedorov’s achievements is the transfer of some procurement to open tenders, which almost instantly reduced the cost of 155-mm artillery shells by 16%.
Fedorov’s six months as minister were marked by excessive activity and confrontational tactics, which caused dissatisfaction among many influential individuals, journalists note.
“He ruffled vested interests and deprived some powerful figures of lucrative contracts. This became one of the reasons for his troubles. He created others for himself. The minister openly clashed with representatives of the conservative wing of the military leadership, particularly with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. It is well known that the Minister of Defense tried to secure the general’s dismissal but did not receive the president’s approval. A high-ranking intelligence source warned even before Mr. Fedorov’s resignation that he did not realize how slim his chances of success were,” the media added.
Fedorov’s Resignation – What is Known
Mykhailo Fedorov worked in the Cabinet of Ministers for almost seven years, first as Minister of Digital Transformation and for the last six months as Minister of Defense. On July 15, he submitted his resignation.
At a press conference after his resignation, Fedorov harshly criticized Syrskyi and admitted that he advocated for his dismissal.
“Syrskyi is not ready to look people in the eye and talk about problems. He is ready to weave intrigues, to think that someone ordered some campaign. Instead of figuring out how to defeat Russia, he figured out how to divide the country,” stated Mykhailo Fedorov.
Appointed in January of this year, the 35-year-old Fedorov gained recognition for tackling a series of problems that had burdened the Armed Forces of Ukraine for years: he optimized military procurement, challenged corruption-prone systems, introduced competitive tenders, and began seeking ways to overcome the chronic crisis in personnel recruitment and training.
Fedorov was also considered one of the key driving forces behind Ukraine’s highly effective drone production and utilization program, which began during his tenure as Minister of Digital Transformation.
Furthermore, Fedorov is credited with convincing Elon Musk to disable unauthorized access by Russian troops to the Starlink system on the battlefield earlier this year – a move that front-line soldiers hailed as a significant advantage.
The day before, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Yevhen Khmara would be performing the duties of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. He reminded that Khmara headed the Alpha SBU Special Operations Center, which, according to Zelenskyy, demonstrates some of the highest results in eliminating Russian military personnel.
“He knows exactly what Ukraine needs and can also control the internal situation within the components of the Defense Forces: he has sufficient security experience not to allow things that are shameful,” said the head of state.
On July 16, rallies in support of Fedorov took place in many Ukrainian cities. In Kyiv and several other cities, they continued on July 18.
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