MOSCOW, July 16. /TASS/. Acting Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov held an emergency briefing at a Kiev drone storage site on Thursday amid nationwide rallies supporting him, according to a Suspilne News broadcast.
Fedorov confirmed that he had urged Vladimir Zelensky to dismiss Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian army Alexander Syrsky and Chief of the General Staff Andrey Gnatov.
TASS has compiled the key developments.
Briefing
- Acting Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov held an emergency briefing in Kiev, where people have taken to the streets to support him, at a site used to store drones manufactured by Ukrainian producers.
- The event lasted nearly 90 minutes.
- Fedorov answered journalists' questions from the stage.
- Several lawmakers also attended.
- At the end of the event, as people began to leave, organizers said the briefing had been held at that location "by accident" and asked attendees not to publish footage showing the equipment.
- The Strana news outlet said Fedorov had effectively staged an open mutiny against Zelensky's government during the briefing.
- According to Strana, Fedorov addressed not only the public but also the military, while giving Zelensky time to "correct himself" and "listen to the people" who had taken to the streets in major Ukrainian cities.
- Strana said that if Zelensky backed down and kept Fedorov as defense minister, it would deal a "major blow" to his authority.
- The news outlet added that if Zelensky retained Fedorov while dismissing Syrsky, he would lose control over the military, while the new commander-in-chief and Fedorov would gain the ability to challenge his decisions.
- Overall, Strana described the position Zelensky is in as "extremely serious," saying he now faces a high-stakes decision.
Fedorov's statements
- Fedorov confirmed that he had urged Zelensky to dismiss Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian army Alexander Syrsky and Chief of the General Staff Andrey Gnatov.
- He said Zelensky told him he had no plans to replace Syrsky.
- According to Fedorov, Syrsky then issued "an ultimatum" regarding their future cooperation.
- Fedorov also accused Syrsky and Gnatov of derailing mobilization reforms.
- He said the military command refused to sign documents he had proposed, his nominees were not appointed to senior positions, and military units were redeployed from one front to another without his approval.
- According to Fedorov, Syrsky "suppresses talent" within the armed forces by blocking capable officers from advancing.
- At the same time, Fedorov said he does not yet consider the choice between himself and Syrsky to be finalized.
Views on situation
- Zelensky decided to replace Fedorov because he and Syrsky have "irreconcilable differences," Suspilne reported, citing sources in the ruling Servant of the People party.
- RBC-Ukraine, also citing party sources, reported that the reasons behind Fedorov's expected dismissal are related to government procurement.
- According to one source, Fedorov and the ministry made procurement decisions at their own discretion rather than following requests from the General Staff and the military. This reportedly included purchases of artillery ammunition.
- Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said Zelensky blamed Fedorov for the failure of reforms involving territorial recruitment centers, Ukraine's military enlistment offices.
- In recent weeks, Fedorov has also faced sharp criticism for failing to address the problem of so-called "busification" and the intensification of forced mobilization.
- Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov told TASS that the core of the conflict between Fedorov and Syrsky is Fedorov's failure to ensure the required pace of mobilization.
Fedorov's future
- Ukraine could "be left without a defense minister" because of the "Bankova intrigues" stemming from the conflict between Zelensky and Fedorov, lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said.
- According to him, the two are expected to meet today to "find a way out of the situation."
- Ukraine's Security Service is reportedly fast-tracking a criminal case against Fedorov over alleged payments received from a network of scam call centers and online casinos, former Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Igor Mosiychuk (designated in Russia as a terrorist and extremist) said.
- According to the former lawmaker, Fedorov's former associate and business partner, current MP Mikhail Kryachko, incriminated him.
Protests
- Zelensky's reported intention to remove Fedorov as defense minister has sparked mass protests in Ukrainian cities.
- Demonstrators are demanding that Fedorov remain in office and that Commander-in-Chief Syrsky be dismissed.