Updated

Updated · Financial Times · Jul 15

Zelenskyy Weighs Ousting 35-Year-Old Defence Minister in 3rd Wartime Cabinet Reshuffle

Updated

Updated · Financial Times · Jul 15

Zelenskyy Weighs Ousting 35-Year-Old Defence Minister in 3rd Wartime Cabinet Reshuffle

Q: Did a defense minister's anti-corruption crusade cost him his job during wartime?

There is no firm evidence that Mykhailo Fedorov’s anti-corruption drive cost him his job, because as of July 15 he had not been formally removed. What the reporting does show is that his clean-up campaign is one plausible factor behind the effort to push him out. Fedorov’s short tenure at the Defense Ministry included an audit that reportedly uncovered about 300 billion hryvnias in overspending, tighter checks on officials, and a shift toward more open procurement. His allies say those moves disrupted entrenched interests. Advisers and supporters have explicitly suggested that people losing money from defense procurement schemes had reason to target him. But the pressure on Fedorov appears broader than corruption alone. He has had deep disagreements with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, especially over procurement and war planning. He has also faced criticism from lawmakers over slow progress on mobilization and recruitment reform, and his possible removal comes amid a wider government reshuffle that many officials say was poorly explained even inside Zelensky’s camp. That makes the most accurate answer this: anti-corruption efforts may have contributed to the threat to Fedorov’s position, but they do not fully explain it, and the evidence remains circumstantial. The available reporting points to a mix of procurement reform, institutional resistance, military infighting, and broader political reshuffling during wartime.

3 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Jul 15

Thursday’s planned government unveiling is expected to remove Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after just six months in the job, though officials said Wednesday the final decision was still unresolved.
Fedorov’s likely exit stems from overlapping clashes: he blocked favored procurement deals, angering vested interests, and had a months-long dispute with commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky over arms buying and war strategy.
Since January, the 35-year-old has overhauled the ministry with digital systems, expanded drone production and pushed manpower reforms including higher frontline pay, fixed-term contracts and a path to demobilization for some troops.
Zelenskyy says the reshuffle is meant to refresh his government as the war enters a new phase; allies also expect Naftogaz chief Sergii Koretskyi to emerge as prime minister with broad influence over economic posts.
The shake-up would be Zelenskyy’s third since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion and reflects a broader effort to reset his political strategy without signaling major changes in Ukraine’s overall war or foreign policy.