Has Ukraine’s Zelenskyy created a rival by sacking his defence minister?

Kyiv, Ukraine – At 35, with nary subject inheritance oregon battlefield experience, Mykhailo Fedorov seemed unfit to beryllium wartime Ukraine’s defence minister.

But helium was acclaimed for his reforms portion serving arsenic Ukraine’s curate of integer transformation, and his caller duties included logistics, budgets, reforms, anticorruption measures and deals to unafraid multibillion-dollar Western assistance oregon loans.

After his assignment successful January, Fedorov provided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a database of urgent problems and ways to lick them. He mentioned a “chaotic” absorption system, changeless rotations of commanding officers, non-transparent organisation of arms and subject equipment, bureaucracy, absorption to reforms from Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii’s General Staff of Armed Forces, decision-making based connected loyalty and not information analysis, and “isolation” of effectual commanders and proponents of reforms.

Then connected Wednesday, conscionable 7 months into his role, Fedorov was removed from his presumption by Zelenskyy. The changes that Fedorov was trying to bring astir successful Ukraine’s subject had angered Syrskii. But Fedorov’s ouster appears to person angered Ukrainians adjacent much — perchance presenting Zelenskyy with a governmental challenge.

Rallies, comparatively ample by wartime Ukraine’s standards, person since erupted successful Kyiv and cardinal Ukrainian cities.

“He’s a young, smart, educated idiosyncratic who proved with his erstwhile occupation that helium truly is simply a reformer and tin marque Ukraine a federation of the future,” Taisiya, who rallied connected Thursday successful cardinal Kyiv, told Al Jazeera.

“He’s outstanding, due to the fact that he’s a decent, honorable person, and I judge him, and I’d similar to really spot him arsenic Ukraine’s president,” she said, withholding her past sanction for information reasons.

Outgoing Ukraine Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov speaks during a briefing to journalists successful Kyiv, Ukraine, connected Thursday, July 16, 2026 [Dan Bashakov/AP Photo]

The reformer

To beryllium sure, adjacent portion Fedorov was heading the defence ministry, the existent combat readying and operations were helmed by Syrskii, a 60-year-old four-star wide who won praise for defending Kyiv and expelling Russians from northeastern Ukraine successful 2022, but who was dubbed a “butcher” for his reported indifference to losses of soldiers.

But distant from the battlefield, Fedorov tried to alteration what the Ukrainian subject and its capabilities looked like.

He began tech-driven reforms that appeared similar Silicon Valley’s revision of the subject playbook.
He boosted the fig of drones, particularly mid and long-range bombers that paralysed Russia’s proviso routes, destroyed arms and substance depots, lipid refineries and aerial defence systems, resulting successful what galore already telephone a turning constituent successful the war.

He promoted AI-driven drones that place targets without connection with quality pilots that Russia tin jam, and accrued the fig of crushed robots to proviso nutrient and ammunition and rescue wounded soldiers. Fedorov besides cracked down connected corruption schemes by making procurement of caller weaponry much transparent.

The reforms infuriated Syrskii, but eased the lives of mean servicemen.

“Fedorov improved his ministry’s efficiency, and it reflected connected the occurrence of Ukraine’s strikes connected Russia,” Kyiv-based expert Ihar Tyshkevich told Al Jazeera. Considering that Syrskii is “utterly unpopular, astir of Ukrainians thanked Fedorov,” helium said.

A nonmigratory looks astatine burned-out vehicles pursuing a Russian rocket onslaught successful Odesa, Ukraine, connected Friday, July 17, 2026 [Michael Shtekel/AP Photo]

View from the beforehand line

Protesters connected Thursday held pieces of cardboard with slogans specified arsenic “Fedorov is hellhole for Russia”, “If it ain’t broke, don’t hole it!”, and “Zelenskyy changeable himself successful the foot.”

There were not galore servicemen successful the rally successful Kyiv, and astir abstained from comments, citing imaginable reprisals from commanders.

But the fewer who spoke retired praised Fedorov’s achievements.

“There were nary miracles. But the results were good,” Boris, a drone aviator connected permission from the eastbound front, told Al Jazeera, withholding his past sanction successful accordance with wartime protocol.

Fedorov hasn’t solved galore problems – specified arsenic finite presumption of work for the soldiers who enlisted years agone and are kept connected the beforehand enactment contempt carnal and intelligence wounds, Boris said. He besides hasn’t boosted the fig of recruits amid a wide criticised and highly unpopular conscription campaign, and hasn’t decreased the fig of deserters, Boris said.

But helium took elemental and unorthodox steps.

In February, Fedorov convinced billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, which operates Starlink outer modems, to shut down each modems successful Ukraine.

Starlink went backmost online lone aft a verification process – and thousands of modems smuggled to Russia and utilized by its forces successful occupied Ukrainian regions ne'er lit up again.

The determination temporarily ruined the precision of Moscow’s drone attacks and the prime of communications betwixt servicemen and commanders.

“Cotton is rejoicing [over Fedorov’s sacking],” Ukrainian serviceman Boris concluded gloomily, referring to pro-war Russians, arsenic different servicemen adjacent the picket enactment nodded approvingly.

Some Russian analysts look to agree.

“It’s precise bully that Zelenskyy removed [Fedorov] from managing the army,” Russian subject blogger Alexey Zhivov wrote connected Telegram. “He was excessively astute and effectual for an enemy. Things indispensable get easier now.”

Pro-Kremlin pundits person begun pushing conspiracy theories astir Fedorov’s alleged effort to topple Zelenskyy. “This is simply a governmental riot. An close 1 – Fedorov doesn’t request Zelenskyy’s resignation, helium simply urges him to cancel his determination and marque an other one,” Moscow-based expert Sergey Markov wrote connected Telegram.

Ukrainians rally to protestation against the dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov successful cardinal Kyiv connected Thursday, July 16, 2026 [Mansur Mirovalev/Al Jazeera]

‘Zelenskyy doesn’t person a solution’

Rallies, protestation resignations by 2 of Fedorov’s advisers, and the reported reluctance of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s little location of parliament, to ballot successful a caller defence minister, beryllium that Zelenskyy faces “a stalemate situation,” according to Volodymyr Fesenko, the caput of the Kyiv-based Penta deliberation tank.

“So far, Zelenskyy doesn’t person a solution,” Fesenko told Al Jazeera

And Fedorov has started warring back. He called a quality briefing connected Thursday, accusing apical wide Syrskii of “weaving intrigues” and attempts to “split” Ukraine alternatively of warring the war.

“Syrskii saved our state successful 2022, but the warfare has changed completely, and we person to change, too,” Fedorov said. “We took the inaugural connected the battlefield and successful the sky, and present this trajectory is being broken. That’s wherefore radical are protesting.”

Fedorov besides insisted connected staying loyal to Zelenskyy and hinted that his determination to regenerate him wasn’t final.

However, the rallies and a boost successful Fedorov’s popularity whitethorn further estrange him from the president who wants to triumph a 2nd word aft the warfare amid sinking support ratings caused by corruption scandals involving his cardinal allies.

“All of a sudden, Fedorov enters and gains popularity, and Zelenskyy, who’s not getting popular, dismisses him,” expert Tyshkevich said, adding that the sacking turned Fedorov into a “typical fashionable leader who suffered for the truth”.

“For Zelenskyy, helium becomes a menace connected the governmental battlefield,” helium said.