Ukraine’s dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has publicly accused Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi of obstructing military reform and fuelling internal divisions, in a press conference that laid bare the tensions at the top of Ukraine’s war leadership. Fedorov, who was removed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, said the president had been forced to choose between him and Syrskyi, but insisted he never presented an ultimatum.
“I said then we will win with this commander-in-chief,” Fedorov told reporters in Kyiv. He accepted the decision, he said, because “ultimately our client is the Ukrainian people, not anyone else.” Yet he quickly alleged that his reform agenda met systematic resistance from the military’s top command. “We ran into a complete blocking of all our initiatives,” he claimed. “Syrskyi is not ready to speak openly, face to face, about the problems. He is ready to go to meetings, weave intrigues, think that someone is organising media campaigns against him. And he issued an ultimatum.”
Fedorov’s strongest criticism came when he accused Syrskyi of prioritising internal manoeuvring over strategy. “Instead of thinking about how to defeat Russia asymmetrically, he figured out how to split the country,” he said. Despite this, Fedorov acknowledged Syrskyi’s crucial role in the early phase of the full-scale invasion. “In reality, Syrskyi saved our country in 2022, carried out several successful operations and we cannot underestimate him. But the war has changed,” he added, framing his calls for change as a response to an evolving strategic environment rather than a personal vendetta.
A generational clash at the heart of Ukraine’s war effort
The dispute between the tech-savvy, 35-year-old Fedorov and the more conventional general Syrskyi had long been an open secret in Kyiv, often described as a generational clash between a startup-minded reformer and a traditional military commander. Fedorov, who served as deputy prime minister and minister of digital transformation from 2019, was the last remaining minister to have served in every Zelenskyy government. He won widespread praise for spearheading the “state in a smartphone” vision through the Diia app, which digitised public services, and for expanding Ukraine’s drone capabilities after the 2022 invasion.
During his six months as defence minister, Fedorov was credited with accelerating military innovation and helping shift battlefield momentum. In February, he worked with Starlink to curb Russia’s unauthorised use of the satellite internet service, leveraging a personal relationship with SpaceX owner Elon Musk. He also strengthened cooperation between the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Defence to speed up the development and deployment of new military technologies.
Zelenskyy, who presented the reshuffle as an effort to refresh his team and strengthen wartime governance, offered Fedorov an advisory role, which he declined. The dismissal sparked rare wartime protests in Kyiv and other cities, with demonstrators criticising the president for removing a popular minister with strong support across the military, civil society and the political spectrum. For more on the protests, see Ukrainians Stage Rare Wartime Protest After Zelenskyy Fires Popular Defence Minister.
The fallout from Fedorov’s dismissal comes as Ukraine continues to face immense pressure on the battlefield and in its diplomatic efforts. The EU’s defence chief has argued that Ukraine’s military gains should force Putin to negotiate, as reported in EU Defence Chief: Ukraine's Military Gains Should Force Putin to Negotiate. Meanwhile, the broader European security landscape remains tense, with Europe facing twin crises from Middle East tensions and the Ukraine drone deal.
Fedorov’s departure marks the end of an era for Zelenskyy’s inner circle, and the public airing of grievances between the defence minister and the commander-in-chief underscores the deep institutional resistance to the kind of rapid, tech-driven modernisation Fedorov championed. Whether his successor can navigate these tensions remains an open question for Ukraine’s war effort.
