President Volodymyr Zelensky removed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov as part of a wider government reshuffle, appointing Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) special operations head Yevhen Khmara as acting minister. The decision triggered two consecutive days of street protests in Kyiv and other cities, with demonstrators demanding Fedorov’s reinstatement. In a parallel move, Zelensky named former interior minister Ihor Klymenko to lead the National Security and Defence Council, replacing Rustem Umerov, who had served as Kyiv’s chief negotiator in trilateral talks with Russia and the United States.

The Ukrainian presidency attributed the dismissal to a breakdown in working relations between Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, with Zelensky stating he sought to restore “unity” in the military command. Fedorov publicly accused Syrskyi of blocking reforms and said he had proposed replacing both the general and the chief of the general staff. Syrskyi, a 60-year-old officer trained in the Soviet system, is described by Western military analysts as favouring conventional warfare, while Fedorov championed drone technology and digital modernisation. Ukrainian civil society groups and protesters argue that Fedorov’s innovations were central to recent battlefield gains, and some soldiers expressed outrage, with a deputy air force commander resigning in protest. Other military voices, however, maintain that Syrskyi’s experience remains indispensable.

From Washington and European capitals, the reshuffle is seen as potentially disrupting the continuity of Ukraine’s defence innovation. Russian military bloggers welcomed the dismissal, characterising Fedorov as a dangerous adversary responsible for intensified drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Ukrainian media and political analysts suggest the decision may also reflect a pattern of Zelensky sidelining officials whose popularity could pose a political threat, a dynamic previously observed with former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The appointment of Khmara, an intelligence operative with no political background, signals a shift towards tighter presidential control over the defence ministry.

The reshuffle, the second in under a year, comes as Ukraine braces for winter amid Russian attacks on energy infrastructure; new Prime Minister Sergii Koretsky, a former Naftogaz chief, has been tasked with energy security. The fate of Umerov, who led negotiations with US envoys, remains undecided, with Ukrainian officials indicating that discussions on ambassadorial postings are ongoing. Parliament has yet to schedule a confirmation vote for Khmara, and further protests are planned. The episode exposes a persistent tension between reformist and Soviet-era military cultures in Ukraine, with potential consequences for the war’s trajectory.