Mykhailo Fedorov said Thursday his reform efforts were blocked by Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi. The rift led to his ouster, sparking protests and concern among soldiers.
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Mykhailo Fedorov, the Ukrainian defense minister pushed out this week, said Thursday that his efforts to modernize the military were blocked by the country's top commander. Speaking at a press briefing, Fedorov said he recommended removing Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi from his role as commander in chief. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disagreed.
Fedorov told reporters he accepted that decision and planned to work with Syrskyi. "We found ourselves in a situation where every initiative we put forward began to be blocked," Fedorov said, according to local media translations. He accused Syrskyi of being unwilling to discuss problems directly and instead issuing an ultimatum. "Instead of figuring out how to defeat Russia asymmetrically, he figured out how to split the country," Fedorov said. "And that's a major problem."
Syrskyi, in his first public comments after Fedorov's dismissal, thanked the ousted minister and wished him "continued success as part of the Ukrainian team."
Fedorov, a 35-year-old former tech minister known for a Silicon Valley-style approach to the war, was appointed to oversee the defense ministry in January. During his brief tenure, he pushed for sweeping changes: greater emphasis on drones, robots, and other emerging technologies, anti-corruption measures within the defense ministry, and an overhaul of the contracting system to address manpower issues.
Speaking Thursday, Fedorov credited Syrskyi for his battlefield victories, especially early in the war. "He led the Kyiv and Kharkiv operations and took part in the Kherson operation. We cannot underestimate a commander like that," he said. The war had changed, Fedorov argued. "Drone technology is evolving every few months. The command-and-control system has changed, and we need to change as well. We cannot continue doing things the way we did back then."
Ukraine has seen a string of battlefield wins under Fedorov, using drones to target Russian logistics and supply routes. Kyiv has also ramped up long-range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure and escalated efforts to cut off the occupied Crimean peninsula. Fedorov's leadership made him popular among Ukrainian soldiers, many of whom were critical of Syrskyi and the military's Soviet-style command.
In Kyiv, the push for more battlefield innovation had created a sense of optimism about the war's trajectory. The differences between Fedorov and Syrskyi became too great for Zelenskyy to ignore. The president acknowledged the rift Thursday and said it had created a problem for him.
Zelenskyy reshuffled his government this week and chose to leave Fedorov off the list. The former defense minister said Thursday he had been pushed out and declined a government advisory role. His dismissal will be finalized pending a vote by Ukraine's parliament on a replacement.
The surprise decision was met with outrage. Ukrainians took to the streets in major cities to protest. Soldiers and officers called the move a major mistake that could significantly benefit Russia.
Fedorov said Thursday he had identified nearly a dozen issues in Ukraine's military management shortly after taking office, from a fragmented fighting strategy to a lack of accountability. He said he tried to advocate for changes across the board. "What solutions were proposed at the time? Radical personnel decisions. That meant changing both the commander in chief and the chief of the general staff," Fedorov said. "It meant creating an environment where strong leaders could develop instead of being held back or constantly reprimanded."
If finalized, his removal could plunge Ukraine's military into uncertainty at a critical moment, both on and off the battlefield.
"I am proud that, thanks to the Kyiv defense operation in 2022, we managed to defend our capital. And now, briefings can be held in this city, visions can be formed, and decisions can be made," Syrskyi said in his comments after Fedorov's dismissal. "I will make every effort to ensure that such events can take place in a free and independent Ukraine. To achieve this, we need to focus on the war and on an effective strategy that is currently demonstrating concrete results."
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