Kyiv protests erupt over Zelenskyy’s move to drop defense chief
Hundreds rallied after Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved to dismiss Mykhailo Fedorov during a wartime cabinet shakeup.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Hundreds of people gathered in central Kyiv on Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved to remove Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a popular wartime figure credited by supporters with helping sharpen Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
The decision is part of a broader cabinet reshuffle that has stirred unease over its timing. CBS News reported that the changes come as many analysts see Ukraine slowly gaining ground against Russia’s nearly four-and-a-half-year full-scale invasion.
Ukraine’s parliament was meeting to appoint a new prime minister after lawmakers accepted Yulia Svyrydenko’s resignation a day earlier. Parliamentary Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said on social media Wednesday night that Zelenskyy had nominated Naftogaz CEO Serhii Koretskyi for the job.
Resignations follow the move
The backlash moved quickly inside Ukraine’s military and political circles. CBS News reported that the deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force and some lawmakers submitted resignations Thursday in protest over Fedorov’s removal.
Deputy Air Force Commander Pavlo Yelizarov wrote on Facebook, alongside a copy of his resignation letter, that he believed the removal of Fedorov was “a great evil for the country's defense capability.”
Fedorov is expected to leave government after about six months as defense minister. Zelenskyy had not formally announced his departure, according to CBS News, though Fedorov posted a list of his achievements in office on social media late Wednesday after days of unconfirmed Ukrainian media reports that he was on the way out.
A tech figure with political weight
Before taking over the defense ministry in January, Fedorov, 35, led Ukraine’s digital transformation work and was seen as a modernizing force. He became known for driving Ukraine’s fast development and use of drone technology and for launching successful e-government platforms.
CBS News reported that Fedorov, a tech entrepreneur with close ties to Silicon Valley, is widely liked in Washington and has been credited with improving ties with the Trump administration. He has also been credited with helping direct Ukraine’s efforts to disrupt fuel and logistics routes to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula occupied by Russia since 2014.
After taking the defense post, Fedorov promised broad military reforms. He said at the time that Ukraine’s military had faced about 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people.
Several officials told CBS News that Fedorov’s rising popularity had led some in Kyiv to view him as a possible political rival to Zelenskyy. The Economist reported this week that Fedorov had friction with some senior Ukrainian generals, including armed forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Zelenskyy points to winter and foreign ties
Zelenskyy has said the government changes are meant to prepare Ukraine for another difficult winter and strengthen work with important foreign partners. Officials and lawmakers also told CBS News the reshuffle reflects wider political calculations in Kyiv.
“Ukraine is changing its political strategy,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. He said each foreign policy priority would be assigned to a person with experience who could carry out agreements reached by leaders and expected by Ukrainians.
Zelenskyy also wrote that domestic work was part of the same shift, calling winter preparations “an extremely important priority” and saying Ukraine must be ready for threats that may arise.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Koretskyi was the strongest candidate for the government’s winter-preparation priority because of his experience in the energy sector.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.