Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov resigns in Zelensky's reshuffle

Mykhailo Fedorov announced his resignation as Ukrainian Defense Minister on Wednesday, two days after Parliament ratified the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. President Volodymyr Zelensky is leading this reshuffle to accompany a change in "political strategy."

The reshuffle initiated by Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday continues to reshape the Ukrainian government. Mykhailo Fedorov, 35, announced on Wednesday, July 15, that he was leaving the Ministry of Defense, which he had headed since January. He was the youngest person to hold that position in Ukraine's history.

“It was a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as Minister of Defense,” he wrote on Telegram, in a lengthy message summarizing his time at the head of the ministry. He notably highlighted the massive development of drone production and use, as well as the launch of a reform of military contracts, which he himself described as “unpopular but extremely necessary.”

Fedorov was one of the first to promote the intensive use of drones on the front lines, which have become central to the war against Russia. "We acquired more drones in four months than in the entire previous year," he stated in his press release. He was also the one who contacted billionaire Elon Musk to secure a Starlink satellite connection for Ukrainian troops, a system now crucial to their military organization, and to cut off Russian forces' access to this technology.

His resignation comes the day after that of Prime Minister Svyrydenko, which was accepted by Parliament on Tuesday. Zelensky announced the reshuffle on Sunday, citing the need for a change in "political strategy" after four years of Russian invasion.

Serhiy Sternenko, an advisor to the ministry, subsequently announced his own resignation. In a message posted on Telegram, he praised the work accomplished while lamenting the "bureaucratic obstacles and deliberate obstructions" encountered. According to Ukrainian media, Fedorov could be replaced by the current Minister of the Interior, Igor Klymenko.