Zelenskyy considers replacing defence minister in cabinet reshuffle Push to appease angry voices in military, defence industrial establishment

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to reshuffle his cabinet following this week's statements about changing the prime minister, attention has turned to Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a 35-year-old tech expert whose reported dismissal could affect Kyiv's wartime efforts.

Several senior figures close to the Ukrainian administration told the Financial Times that Zelenskyy is preparing to remove Fedorov after just six months in the post, as Caliber.Az reports.

Fedorov, who previously served as minister of digital transformation, built a reputation as the driving force behind Ukraine's defence technology sector and drone development. His start-up-inspired management style set him apart from Ukraine's political establishment, although the Financial Times noted that it also unsettled parts of the country's traditional military leadership.

In remarks made this week, Zelenskyy said the cabinet reshuffle — the third since the outbreak of Russian military offensives on Ukraine in 2022 - intends to reinvigorate his government as the war enters a new phase and to implement a new political strategy.

According to the Financial Times, defence industry executives, senior Ukrainian officials, lawmakers from Zelenskyy's party, and others familiar with the matter have said — some publicly — that Fedorov had become an obstacle to interests seeking to profit from Ukraine's vast wartime defence budget.

A Ukrainian investment analyst told the newspaper that Fedorov "made the mistake of becoming too popular" while choosing "not to tolerate corruption." According to the news article, Fedorov repeatedly blocked attempts to direct lucrative procurement contracts to favoured companies, putting him at odds with influential figures within Ukraine's political and defence establishment, people familiar with the matter said.

The Financial Times also reported that Fedorov has been at odds for months with Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, citing people familiar with the relationship. The dispute, centred on disagreements over how Ukraine should conduct the war and organise its armed forces, had become increasingly serious, and the president had grown tired of the conflict, the sources said.

By Nazrin Sadigova