Zelensky dismisses defense minister after protests; keeps him in government

President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister on July 16, prompting protests in Kyiv and three other cities. More than 1,000 people demonstrated in the capital, while additional gatherings occurred in Odesa, Lviv, and Kharkiv. " The demonstrations marked the second major wave of popular protests since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Fedorov had served six months in the post. During that time he oversaw deep-strike attacks on Russian energy targets and supply lines, expanded battlefield drone use, and arranged Starlink deals that restricted Russian front-line satellite internet access while allowing Ukrainian units to buy supplies directly.

Fedorov introduced open tenders that cut costs 20 to 30 percent on 160,000 middle-range strike drones.

Ukraine saved $1,000 per 155 mm artillery shell and $100 million overall in artillery tenders under those initiatives. Zelensky stated he understood "what society is saying" about the protests and that Fedorov would remain "a part of the team" in a different position. Bloomberg reported that Fedorov turned down an offer to become a presidential adviser.

In a July 16 press conference, Fedorov said he had asked Zelensky to remove Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi after clashes over the pace of technological change. He noted that battlefield technologies evolve 20 to 30 times each year and that his initiatives had begun to be blocked.