MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Ukraine is unlikely to see an uprising over the dismissal of Defense Minister Mikhail Fyodorov, while the protests taking place across the country are staged, Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries and an expert with the Other Ukraine movement, told TASS.

"An uprising is unlikely, although much will depend on decisions made in the West and whatever agreement they reach there," he said.

Commenting on the protests against Fyodorov's dismissal, Dudchak described them as staged. "Such protests have been organized in Ukraine on a regular basis since 2003," he said.

According to Dudchak, Fyodorov worked very successfully with British suppliers and US companies that, in his words, study military operations in real time, participate in them, develop new methods of warfare, and employ artificial intelligence and unmanned systems.

"Nevertheless, [Vladimir] Zelensky did not tolerate being bypassed. Apparently, Fyodorov took on too much, believing he had very powerful backing. Once too much money started bypassing Zelensky, he was no longer willing to accept it, especially since [Alexander] Syrsky also found the situation unacceptable. He, too, is used to having his opinion heard," the expert said.

Fyodorov became defense minister after serving as first deputy prime minister and minister of digital transformation. According to the Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper, his approach differed sharply from that of the Ukrainian General Staff. Meetings of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff turned into frequent verbal clashes between Defense Ministry officials and military commanders. At one point, according to the newspaper, the generals presented Zelensky with an ultimatum: either they stayed or Fyodorov's team did. Many lawmakers and political analysts also pointed to disagreements over public procurement. Some argued that Fyodorov sought to combat corruption in the sector, while others claimed he had tried "to get his share."

On July 15, Zelensky told lawmakers from the Servant of the People party that he was concerned about the "war" between Fyodorov and Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky and had decided not to retain Fyodorov as defense minister in the new government.