President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a “very serious” conflict had arisen between the then-Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. According to him, after the decision on personnel changes, he offered Fedorov various formats for further work in the team four times, but the latter refused all proposals.
Zelenskyy made these remarks during a conversation with journalists on August 22, as reported by a Suspilne correspondent.
The President explained that one of the reasons for the personnel changes was the conflict between the Ministry of Defense and the military command. He stated that the Ministry of Defense is responsible for supplying the troops, while the conduct of operations and army management falls under the purview of the military.
“There cannot be a conflict at such a level between leaders. If there is a particular operation on the battlefield, it is primarily handled by the military. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine handles the provision of resources. If someone encroaches on another’s area of responsibility, it will inevitably lead to conflict. And a conflict did occur — and a very serious one,” Zelenskyy said.
According to him, at the beginning of Fedorov’s tenure at the Ministry of Defense, they had agreed on a clear division of powers. Zelenskyy also recalled the presentation of the “ministry of war” concept, where the Chief of the General Staff would effectively report to the Minister of Defense. The President stated that he had asked them to abandon such a model, but later, in his assessment, Fedorov attempted to implement a similar approach through other means. Syrskyi, in turn, “began to respond with his bureaucracy to another bureaucracy,” Zelenskyy added.
The President recounted that during one meeting, Fedorov suggested “honestly, let’s dismiss both.” Zelenskyy replied that personnel decisions would be made sequentially, as he did not consider it feasible to change both the Minister of Defense and the Commander-in-Chief simultaneously during wartime.
Zelenskyy also stated that Fedorov and Syrskyi had effectively ceased direct communication and discussed issues only during meetings in his office. Two weeks before the personnel decision, the president, according to him, suggested they meet independently to resolve their differences, but this did not happen.
At the same time, Zelenskyy emphasized that he has a positive view of Fedorov and acknowledged his achievements in digitalization. After the decision to change the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, the president stated that he offered Fedorov various options for further work four times.
“I offered him four different formats for continuing to work in the team for our state. Usually, I don’t meet with people four times to offer them a job. (…) Mykhailo refused all four proposals. Well, that’s his choice,” Zelenskyy said.
Fedorov’s Dismissal from the Ministry of Defense
On July 15, Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed that he was leaving his post as Minister of Defense. Prior to this, members of parliament from the “Servant of the People” party, after meeting with Zelenskyy, told Suspilne that the president had explained the personnel decision by “insurmountable contradictions” between Fedorov and the then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Following the decision not to nominate Fedorov for reappointment, protests in his support began in Kyiv and several other cities.
Fedorov himself later stated that, in his assessment, there was no personal conflict with Syrskyi. He described the discrepancies as “worldview,” “institutional,” and “cultural,” linking them to different approaches to reforms and military management. The former minister also confirmed that he had been offered other positions after his resignation but declined them.
On July 21, Zelenskyy dismissed Syrskyi from his position as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi in his place. The head of the General Staff was also changed, with Ihor Skibyuk taking over the role.
Source: suspilne.media