President Volodymyr Zelenskiy moved to extinguish a political crisis on Thursday sparked by his dismissal of a reformist defence minister, tapping a security official who has overseen Ukraine’s long-range strikes against Russia for the post.
Rare protests had erupted in Ukraine over the ouster of Mykhailo Fedorov in a surprise government reshuffle. The dismissal brought into the open a dispute between the young tech evangelist and Kyiv’s top general during the president’s second shake-up in a year.
Hundreds of people took to the streets in the capital Kyiv and other cities to demand Fedorov – who has aimed to reshape Kyiv’s outmanned army into a more efficient fighting force against Russia – be reappointed. A senior commander of Kyiv’s air war had also resigned.
In a statement, Zelenskiy said he was appointing Yevhenii Khmara, acting head of Ukraine’s SBU domestic security service, as acting defence minister and would ask parliament to approve him permanently for the post.
“Yevhenii Khmara has gained extensive and, in many respects, unprecedented experience with technological combat operations,” he wrote on X.
“This is exactly where our defence efforts should be focused during this war.”
Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russia’s oil infrastructure and defence industry have helped weaken Moscow’s war machine in recent months, boosting Ukrainian morale at a critical moment in the more than four-year war.
The SBU’s Alpha team, which Khmara had previously led, has played a leading role in those attacks and other major operations.
It was not immediately clear when parliament – which had greenlit a new government under energy executive Sergii Koretskyi earlier on Thursday – would consider Khmara’s appointment. The next session is scheduled for August 18.
FEDOROV ACCUSES ARMY CHIEF OF SPLITTING COUNTRY
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, the 35-year-old Fedorov said on Thursday he had declined an offer from Zelenskiy to serve as an adviser after the president refused to include him in the next government.
In a scathing attack on military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, Fedorov accused the general of blocking ministry initiatives and failing to address problems directly.
“Instead of working out how to defeat Russia … he has figured out how to split the country,” he said, dressed in his trademark casual T-shirt and jeans.
Syrskyi, 60, has been in his post since early 2024 but has faced criticism for a rigid command style which some service members have said results in high troop losses.
In a statement, Syrskyi called for focusing on Ukraine’s war effort and recalled his role in helping defend Kyiv from Russian forces in the first weeks of their 2022 invasion.
“And now in this city, briefings can be held, visions can be developed, and decisions can be made,” he said, appearing to mock Fedorov’s press conference hours earlier.
Earlier on Thursday, Zelenskiy said he was still considering who would replace Fedorov, adding that outgoing Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko was only one of the candidates under discussion and that he would look into the matter again.
“I would very much like unity,” he told reporters in Kyiv, appearing flustered. “The sides did not find it.”
DRONE WARFARE LEADER RESIGNS IN RESPONSE
Ukraine is in its best battlefield position since late 2022, gaining new battlefield momentum while striking Russia’s oil sector and military logistics in drone and missile attacks.
Despite those gains, Kyiv’s forces still face grinding Russian advances in the east amid a critical shortage of ground troops, as well as a lack of air defences as Moscow steps up strikes with ballistic missiles.
“In difficult moments, Zelenskiy behaves like a hero,” wrote Vitalii Sych, chief editor of Ukrainian outlet NV. “But we should not forget that difficult moments are often caused by his idiotic decisions.”
Pavlo Yelizarov, a deputy commander of Ukraine’s air force and a key leader in drone warfare, said he was stepping down in response to Fedorov’s dismissal.
A spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters the Kremlin was monitoring the reshuffle.
DEMONSTRATION NEAR PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
In Kyiv, more than 1,000 protesters rallied outside Zelenskiy’s office to chants of “Shame!” and carrying placards with phrases such as “For what?” and “The Russians are celebrating”.
The scene was reminiscent of major protests last July, when a public outcry forced Zelenskiy to reverse an unpopular measure stripping anti-corruption agencies of their independence.
“We’re in favour of an upgrade — not a downgrade,” said a protester who identified himself as Ali. Other protesters demanded that Zelenskiy oust Syrskyi instead.
ZELENSKIY SAYS GOVERNMENT NEEDS RENEWAL
Fedorov, who had previously served as Ukraine’s first digital transformation minister, has been credited with cutting bureaucracy, boosting drone warfare and pursuing a data-driven strategy to exhaust Russian forces.
But supporters say his attempts to clean up defence procurement have angered parts of the establishment. He has also been criticised for failing to deliver quickly enough on his pledge to reform recruitment.
Zelenskiy announced his latest shake-up to widespread shock on Sunday, arguing the government and law enforcement agencies needed “renewal”.
Koretskyi, in a post on X, said his government’s main task would be to “fully equip” the army with a range of drones, scale up Ukraine’s defence sector, as well as prepare for another winter of Russian strikes on the power grid.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash and Anna Pruchnicka; )
