The Ministry of Defense and the General Staff "were fighting each other": Zelensky sacrificed Fedorov

President Volodymyr Zelensky decided that Mykhailo Fedorov will not be in the new Cabinet. The reason – a long-standing conflict with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. This was reported on 16 July 2026 by “Ukrainska Pravda”, citing deputies from “Servant of the People” who were present the day before at the president’s meeting with the faction.

According to the publication’s interlocutors, Zelensky explained his decision by the need to end the confrontation between the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. Fedorov sought to digitalize military management, develop technological directions and more closely control procurement, while the military complained that the ministry did not satisfy some of their requests.

“They live in two different worlds. Misha wants to digitalize everything, to build a system around technologies. The military just want to be heard,” — paraphrased one of the deputies recounting the president’s words.

Zelensky, according to UP, said that in a country at war the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff cannot “fight each other”. At the same time he reportedly acknowledged that both sides of the conflict need changes, but he cannot simultaneously remove both the minister and the commander-in-chief.

Separately, the president criticized Fedorov for not implementing the promised mobilization reform. As the new head of the Ministry of Defense Zelensky plans to propose the Interior Ministry chief Ihor Klymenko, who, in the president’s view, will be able to “put the army replenishment system in order.”

During the conversation Zelensky also cited a hypothetical scenario in which Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would announce a general mobilization on 23 September. According to a source from Ukrainska Pravda, the president emphasized that Ukraine must resolve its own mobilization problems before a possible strengthening of the Russian army. It is also noted that Fedorov remains in the presidential team, but his next position has not yet been determined. All explanations presented are based on the words of unnamed deputies, not on an official stenographic record of the meeting.

Earlier we wrote:

• Drones, procurement and the struggle for influence: why Fedorov fell out with the generals
• 22 victories and three shortcomings: Fedorov reported and left the Ministry of Defense
• Zelensky prepares a rotation of the government and the security bloc
• The army awaits new rules: what was planned to change for those who have served since 2022
• The Cabinet announced new contracts for the Armed Forces with pay depending on position and tasks