Political crisis and protests in Ukraine as Zelenskyy defends sacking defence minister
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is facing domestic political backlash following his decision to dismiss the popular defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov. Protesters gathered in Kyiv to challenge the move, which stems from internal conflicts between the ministry and military leadership.
Why it matters
Internal political instability in Ukraine during an ongoing war could impact military effectiveness and international support.
A protest against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov in Lviv on Thursday. A protest against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov in Lviv on Thursday. Ukraine Political crisis and protests in Ukraine as Zelenskyy defends sacking defence minister President says he had to choose ‘one side or the other’ after breakdown of relations between ministry and military leaders
Prefer the Guardian on Google Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has defended his decision to dismiss the country’s popular defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov , and confirmed reports that relations had broken down between the ministry and the country’s top army leadership.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer , Zelenskyy said there had been a “challenging dialogue” between Fedorov – widely seen as a reformist and moderniser – and the military’s commander in chief, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi.
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