‘Why do ministers get rotated more than soldiers?’ Kyiv protesters ask, after Zelensky pushes out the defense minister they didn’t want to lose

Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Ukraine's defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, just six months into his tenure—a decision that has sparked street protests across the country and bewildered Ukraine's Western allies. According to Meduza, Fedorov, a 35-year-old reformer appointed in January, had rapidly modernized the military: he brokered a deal with SpaceX to restrict Starlink access to Russian forces, strengthened Ukraine's drone capabilities to strike Russian oil infrastructure, and launched comprehensive military reform including improved rotation schedules and combat pay. But Fedorov clashed repeatedly with commander in chief Oleksandr Syrsky over accountability and strategy—and when the defense minister proposed removing Syrsky, Zelensky sided with his generals instead. The dismissal came amid rising public trust in Fedorov, who by June had reached fifty percent approval, and against a backdrop of wider government upheaval: Zelensky also pushed out Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko after just a year. Per Meduza's reporting, when offered the position of ambassador to the United States, Svyrydenko declined. Protesters across Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities are now asking the question visible on signs throughout the country: "Why do ministers get rotated more than soldiers?"

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