Zelenskyy ousts Ukraine’s popular defence minister behind drone campaign in govt shake-up

In the latest government shake-up in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

The decision has come as a shock as Fedorov had emerged as the face of Ukraine's highly successful drone campaign against Russia. For months, Ukraine has been carrying out near-daily strikes deep inside Russian territory, inflicting significant damage on energy facilities, supply chains, and other critical infrastructure.

Fedorov confirmed his departure in a social media post in which he described his approach to the war as one driven by the “speed of innovation, and the power of organisation”.

Fedorov's dismissal is part of a broader government reshuffle that has also seen the departure of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who is expected to be given a diplomatic assignment. It remains unclear whether he will have a role in the new administration of Sergii Koretskyi, whom Zelenskyy has named as the next prime minister. The parliament would need to confirm the new premier and their ministers.

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Before becoming defence minister, Fedorov, 35, led e-government initiatives and served as Zelenskyy's technology adviser.

While Fedorov remains deeply popular across Ukraine, he was often at odds with the country's generals and defence industry over the conduct of the war. Military commanders frequently argued that his emphasis on drone- and robot-centric warfare was only viable up to a point and could not eliminate the need for ground offensives. His decentralised approach to weapons procurement also ruffled feathers.

Ukrainska Pravda reported that Zelenskyy had told allies he could no longer manage the disputes between Fedorov, the military leadership, and the defence industry, and had therefore decided to dismiss him. But the move has been widely criticised across Ukraine by analysts and social media commentators alike. Many have condemned the dismissal as one of the worst decisions taken during the ongoing war with Russia.