Volodymyr Zelensky Faced Backlash Over The Firing Of a Popular Minister. He Is Backtracking

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had been facing backlash over the removal of popular defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov. He took note and backtracked, removing the country’s army chief and seeking to bring Fedorov back into the armed forces.

Speaking in a television address, Zelensky said he was appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new commander-in-chief after removing Oleksandr Syrskyi.

“The operations of Ukraine’s Defense Forces are ongoing and must continue without disruption. Ukraine’s long-range sanctions plan and our mid-strike program will be carried out with absolute precision,” Zelensky said.

He went on to say that he had a meeting with Fedorov and offered him a “worthy leadership position that would allow him to bring together our country’s technological capabilities and ensure their continued development.”

Ukrainians recently took the streets to protest the removal of Fedorov. He was instrumental in the development of Ukraine’s drone strategy, which has allowed Ukraine to step up attacks against Russian energy and military infrastructure and give a country an edge over Russia.

In a media briefing after his departure, Fedorov said Zelensky was forced to choose between him and Syrskyi. He claimed that it was not him who presented him with such an ultimatum. “I said then we will win with this commander-in-chief.”

Elsewhere, he claimed his plans to reform the army were met with resistance from the military’s top brass. “We ran into a complete blocking of all our initiatives,” he said, also criticizing Syrskyi, who, he said, “is not ready to speak openly, face to face, about the problems.”

“He is ready to go to meetings, weave intrigues, think that someone is organizing media campaigns against him. And he issued an ultimatum,” Fedorov claimed. “Instead of thinking about how to defeat Russia asymmetrically, he figured out how to split the country,” he added. He did offer some praise, saying Syrskyi “saved our country in 2022” but claimed he has since changed.

Fedorov reacted to the latest developments, congratulating Drapatyi on his appointment. “This is a breath of fresh air and a new source of hope in the fight of free people for freedom and justice. It is the voice of change that could no longer be ignored,” he said in a social media post.