Zelensky Removes Defense Minister After Six Months. Man Who Cut Russian Units From Starlink Ousted Over Army Commander Conflict and Failed Draft Reform, MPs Say

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on Wednesday dismissed Defense Minister Mychajlo Fedorov after six months in office. He decided to dismiss him after a meeting with military leadership. According to sources from Ukrainska Pravda, he told members of his own faction that Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyj have different ideas about conducting the war. Thus departs the man who in February achieved the blocking of Russian Starlink terminals, at a time when Ukraine is benefiting from a campaign of drone strikes deep in Russia. In the following hours, the Verkhovna Rada approved a new government led by Prime Minister Serhij Koreckyj and Fedorov's dismissal sparked protests in several Ukrainian cities. However, the protests did not subside — after four days the dispute moved from the street to the military command itself, which publicly stood behind Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyj. On the fifth day, the commander himself finally became involved: Syrskyj apologized to Fedorov and according to Bloomberg, Zelenskyj is considering replacing him with General Drapaty. The speculation came true on July 22: Zelenskyj indeed dismissed Syrskyj from the head of the army and appointed General Mychajlo Drapaty, a hero of the defense of Mariupol, as the new commander-in-chief.

The Man Who Cut Russian Units Off from Starlink

Fedorov took over the defense ministry as an atypical choice. A politician with background in technology startups, creator of the state application Diia and longtime minister of digital transformation came to a ministry that had previously been led by people from military or party circles. Defense News ↗

His most visible achievement was February 2026. Fedorov asked Musk's SpaceX to block Russian access to Starlink and the company introduced stricter verification with a list of approved terminals. Unauthorized devices that Russian units relied on stopped working. Forbes ↗

The impact was military, not symbolic. Russian units had come to rely on Starlink for communication and its failure, according to CNN reporting, deprived them of functional communication in parts of the front. "The Russians' terminals are now blocked," Fedorov announced at the time. CNN ↗

Generational Clash of Manager and General

The official reason for dismissal is not failure at the front. According to sources of Ukrainska Pravda, Zelenskyj told the Servant of the People faction that there is an unresolved systemic conflict between Fedorov and Syrskyj, and that the minister did not coordinate state purchases with the General Staff. Ukrainska Pravda ↗

At the core of the dispute were Fedorov's proposals to restructure how the ministry functioned. Journalists describe it as a generational clash between a young manager with startup thinking and a traditional general. Kyiv Independent ↗ Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera called it in its commentary a case of "a minister who became too popular," but this is an editorial interpretation, not an official statement from Kyiv. Corriere della Sera ↗

What Fedorov Was Criticized For

However, the image of an effective minister brought down by intrigue would be one-sided. The failure of the reform of territorial draft centers, so-called TCKs, is cited by Zelenskyj and members of parliament as a separate reason for the replacement, not as an additional pretext. Mobilization belongs to the most sensitive topics of Ukrainian domestic politics. RFE/RL ↗

On July 8, in Lviv's Sychiv district, TCK employees clashed with passersby during document checks. About two hundred people gathered, a service vehicle ended up overturned and according to Kyiv Independent, even a police official suffered injury. Members of parliament openly called for Fedorov's resignation after the incident. Kyiv Independent ↗

Criticism also came from the ruling faction. Member of parliament Danylo Hetmancev claims that Fedorov during his tenure did not expose a single corrupt official in the ministry. Censor.NET ↗

Soldiers and Veterans are in Uproar

The response from the army and civil society was nevertheless sharp. Soldiers, veterans and activists called the dismissal a loss of one of the most effective representatives of the wartime government without sufficient explanation. Kyiv Independent ↗

Veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyj, who last year was one of the main organizers of mass protests against the law restricting the independence of anti-corruption bodies, called for a new demonstration. "The Minister of Defense is resigning in the middle of effective, finally effective reforms, and is being replaced by someone under whom we can forget about any hope for reform," he wrote on Facebook. He urged people to gather at Ivan Franko Square at 9:01, right after a minute of silence for the fallen. Kyiv Independent ↗

The protest ultimately took place. According to Interfax, about two thousand people gathered at Ivan Franko Square in Kyiv, and demonstrations in support of Fedorov also took place in Khmelnytsky, Zhytomyr, Poltava, Ternopil and Chernivtsi. Interfax ↗ Censor.NET ↗

Fedorov himself publicly confirmed the dispute with Oleksandr Syrskyi after his departure. According to him, the Commander-in-Chief "prefers to scheme rather than figure out how to asymmetrically defeat Russia," and called for replacing the Commander-in-Chief and the Chief of the General Staff. Kyiv Post ↗ Censor.NET ↗

The dismissal also provoked political reactions. Former President Petro Poroshenko conditioned his support for the new government on Fedorov's return, funding for the army and independence of the anti-corruption bodies NABU and SAP. Censor.NET ↗ The European Commissioner for Defense and EU Ambassador thanked Fedorov for his cooperation Censor.NET ↗, the news website UNITED24 Media suspended its publication in protest Censor.NET ↗, and the second-in-command of the Ukrainian Air Force also resigned in protest. Le Figaro ↗

Update July 20. The protest for Fedorov grew into a four-day campaign against the Commander-in-Chief. On Sunday, actions continued in Kyiv, Lviv and other cities under the slogan "Return Fedorov, dismiss Syrskyi." Censor.NET ↗ Ukrajinska Pravda ↗ The Latvian LSM summed up the protesters' demand in one sentence: on the fourth day they are demanding the resignation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. LSM ↗

Veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyj, who had called the first demonstration, urged people to take to the streets before the Stavka meeting with the message "The General Must Go." Censor.NET ↗

A decisive turning point came with the response from the command. The commanders of the Navy and Airborne Assault Forces publicly supported Syrskyi and condemned "attempts to divide society." Kyiv Independent ↗ Ukrajinska Pravda ↗ The commander of the Territorial Defense Forces Plachuta joined in, saying that Syrskyi took over the army "at one of the most difficult periods," Censor.NET ↗, as did the commander of rocket forces Major General Malinovskyi with a statement "My commander is Syrskyi." Censor.NET ↗

However, the army is not united. Defender of Azovstal Bohdan Krotevych refused a decoration that was presented to him by Syrskyi himself. Censor.NET ↗ From the other side came criticism of the street — analyst Mariya Berlinska pointed out that "we cannot choose the Commander-in-Chief at protests with cardboard signs." Censor.NET ↗

Update July 21. The protests lasted a fifth day — in Kyiv, Lviv and other cities, people again demanded Fedorov's return and Syrskyi's resignation. Ukrajinska Pravda ↗ Censor.NET ↗

A key turning point came from the Commander-in-Chief himself. Oleksandr Syrskyi broke his silence for the first time and apologized to the dismissed minister: "It was surprising to me to learn that we had a conflict — if I hurt you in any way, forgive me." Kyiv Post ↗ Ukrajinska Pravda ↗

The pressure from the street may translate into personnel changes. According to the Bloomberg agency, Zelenskyy is considering replacing Syrskyi with General Mykhailo Drapety, whom the protesters mention as a favorite; other names are also in play. Kyiv Independent ↗ Censor.NET ↗

Well-known figures joined the protests — TV presenter Marichka Padalko and chef Yevhen Klopotenko joined an action supporting Fedorov with a call for "dialogue between people and power." Censor.NET ↗ Come Back Alive foundation head Taras Chmut warned: "If someone thinks they can build an authoritarian system here, they will be disappointed — society will not allow it." Ukrajinska Pravda ↗

The new government meanwhile is taking shape. Prime Minister Sergiy Koreckyy introduced the Interior Ministry staff to the new minister Vykhivskyi (the former Interior Minister Klymenko moves to Defense) Censor.NET ↗ and presented ministers Bezhin and Kalashnik to the team of the former development ministry. Interfax Ukraine ↗

Update July 22. After days of protests, Zelenskyy finally changed the command: he dismissed Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and appointed General Mykhailo Drapety, a hero of the defense of Mariupol, in his place. Libération ↗ n-tv ↗ taz ↗ In his farewell, Syrskyi stood by his record — "I am handing over an army that not only defends but also attacks" — and Russia responded to his successor with a statement putting Drapety on a wanted list. Kyiv Post ↗ Censor.NET ↗

Key figures expressed support for the new commander. Former Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyy noted about Drapety's appointment that "he has nothing to lose," and the head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov promised him full support, saying that the army is in reliable hands. Ukrajinska Pravda ↗ Ukrajinska Pravda ↗

The change of command came amid offensive successes. Ukraine and the USA signed an agreement on the export of Ukrainian drones for testing to the United States Interfax Ukraine ↗ Ukrajinska Pravda ↗, American General Dan Cain announced that a Ukrainian F-16 shot down a Russian fighter jet in air combat for the first time Ukrajinska Pravda ↗, and drones struck the warehouses of the Russian "Amazon" Wildberries again — part of Crimea lost power and the commander of unmanned systems Robert Brovdi reports hitting 13 more ships of the Russian "shadow fleet." BBC ↗ Censor.NET ↗

Fedorov will not keep the post even after the vote. According to parliamentarians, Zelenskyy will propose as Defense Minister the current Interior Ministry head Igor Klymenko, who previously led the National Police. Liga.net ↗

Second Government in One Year

The defense minister's removal is part of a broader cabinet reshuffle. Prime Minister Juliya Svyrydenko submitted her resignation after a year in office at Zelensky's initiative, and parliament approved it on Tuesday. Her resignation automatically triggered the collapse of the entire cabinet. Kyiv Independent ↗

The president is pushing for Serhiy Koretsky, the head of state-owned Naftogaz, as the new prime minister. He called him the most prepared person for this position, and the main argument is preparation for winter, during which Russia systematically attacks Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Al Jazeera ↗

The Verkhovna Rada approved Koretsky's appointment as prime minister on Thursday and approved an extensive military reconstruction of the cabinet. Kyiv Post ↗ Interfax ↗

For Ukraine, this is the second government change in one year. It comes at a moment when the situation on the battlefield is changing in Kyiv's favor thanks to a campaign of drone strikes on Russian refineries, but at the same time, according to deputy David Arakhamia, the country faces probably the most difficult winter in its history. Interfax Ukraine ↗

Update July 17. Despite protests, the president continues without concessions after the cabinet reshuffle — French Le Monde writes that he "bypassed" the demonstrators. According to Interfax, fewer than 400 participants of a rally for Fedorov remained at Kyiv's Ivan Franko Square on Friday morning. Le Monde ↗ Interfax ↗

The reshuffle continues beyond the government. Zelensky dismissed the head of Kyiv's City Military Administration Timur Tkachenko, while Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak met with Chief Commander Syrsky after Fedorov's departure. Kyiv Independent ↗ Censor.NET ↗

Continuity was heard from abroad. EU Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas said the Union will cooperate with the new defense minister, but stability is important for Ukraine's European integration. Censor.NET ↗ Senator Graham's sanctions bill, meanwhile, gained enough votes in the Senate for approval, according to Axios. Censor.NET ↗ The war continues unabated — in a night Russian rocket attack on Odesa, two people died and eight, including children, were injured. Kyiv Independent ↗

In response to pressure, the president held a series of meetings with combat generals and announced "key talks" for Monday about further strategy to force Russia to peace. Interfax Ukraine ↗ Ukrainska Pravda ↗

Commentators of Ukrainska Pravda call the pair Fedorov versus Syrsky a possible "black swan" for the government — an unforeseen shock that could rewrite the rules of the game. Ukrainska Pravda ↗ Ukrainska Pravda ↗

Two perspectives emerged from abroad. Swiss NZZ dedicated an entire podcast episode to the question of why Zelensky fired his favorite minister. NZZ ↗ Norwegian Aftenposten asks in a commentary what Ukraine would achieve if every new minister didn't have to pack up after a few months. Aftenposten ↗

What hotinfo is Watching

The Verkhovna Rada approved the new government, including Koretsky and Klymenko, on Thursday. We are monitoring whether the new cabinet will maintain the unity of the Servant of the People faction during what will likely be the most difficult winter.

We are monitoring whether the announced demonstration in Kyiv will actually take place and what turnout it will have. Last year's protests against the curtailment of the president's anti-corruption bodies forced him to back down.

We are monitoring whether the new defense minister will maintain Fedorov's technology projects, especially the drone program and the list of approved Starlink terminals, or whether the ministry will return to more traditional management according to the General Staff's vision.

We are monitoring the fate of the TCK reform, which remains incomplete and politically explosive after the Lviv incident.