Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Mykhalo Fedorov as defense minister following a meeting with military leadership amid a cabinet reshuffle that has also seen Yulia Svyrydenko pushed out as prime minister.
Fedorov, a youngish, whiz-kid bureaucrat who has spearheaded digital transformation efforts across the government and embraced drone innovation as an important weapon in the war, confirmed he had been relieved of his post on July 15.
During his six-month tenure as minister, Ukraine has seen a dramatic improvement in its position on the battlefield, repeatedly hitting Russian oil refineries, creating fuel shortages in Russia and embarrassing President Vladimir Putin.
"It was a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as the Minister of Defense," he said in a social media post. Zelenskyy has not commented publicly on the move.
Fedorov noted several achievements during his time at the ministry, including the blocking of Russian troops' access to Starlink satellites, which "dramatically reduced their ability to wage an effective drone war."
He added that he would continue to work to "defeat the enemy with asymmetry, speed of innovation, and strength of organization." He gave no further details.
Ukrainian media had speculated that Fedorov could be dismissed as he was in “systemic conflict” with other Cabinet members involved in defense spending.
Dan Rice, president of American University Kyiv and a former special adviser to the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, told RFE/RL that Fedorov could be moved to another senior role, including potentially as prime minister or Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, although he stressed that "you just don't know" what Zelenskyy intends.
"I think he's done an amazing job in a very short period of time," Rice said of Fedorov.
"I think he has a chance to help Ukraine-US relations tremendously. But time will tell what President Zelenskyy wants."
Zelenskyy announced the start of the government reshuffle on July 12, saying the changes are needed to implement an updated political strategy.
He said the reshuffle also is intended to renew the Cabinet of Ministers and said responsibility for key areas of foreign policy would be assigned to officials with relevant experience.
Earlier on July 15, Zelenskyy endorsed Serhiy Koretskiy, the chief executive of Naftogaz, the country’s largest state-owned oil and gas company, as the next prime minister.
Naftogaz is a major source of government revenue and a politically powerful corporation.
One of the youngest ministers in Zelenskyy’s government, Fedorov, 34, was named Ukraine’s first minister of digital transformation in 2019, a position aimed at modernizing the government’s clunky government services, many dating back to the Soviet era.
Equally important was providing transparency for long-opaque bureaucratic processes, helping to root out deep-seated corrupt practices.
The reforms -- described as “a state in a smartphone" -- were embraced by Ukrainians, and Fedorov’s popularity and success led to a cabinet promotion, to deputy prime minister, with an expanded portfolio.
Fedorov was named to take over the Defense Ministry in January.
While his lack of a military background prompted some grumbling among Ukraine’s uniformed armed forces, his promotion ushered in a surge in drone warfare and production -- an area of wartime innovation that Ukraine has excelled at.
In recent weeks Ukraine has used drones to strike multiple targets deep inside Russia territory.
The strikes against Kremlin energy assets, including oil terminals and tankers at sea, are part of a campaign Kyiv has labeled as "long-range sanctions" against Russia.
The drone attacks on Russian energy sites have led to massive shortages throughout the country, with even Moscow -- which is often immune to crises in the country -- feeling the pressure, with long lines at gas stations leading to angry outbursts by drivers.
