The resignation of Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has turned into an escalating political and military crisis, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to call for maintaining 'army unity' as protests erupted in Ukrainian cities against the minister's removal.

On Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the capital Kyiv and other cities, waving Ukrainian and EU flags, chanting for Fedorov's reinstatement a day after his resignation was announced as part of a broad government reshuffle by Zelenskyy.

Speaking about the rift between Defense Minister Fedorov and army commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, Zelenskyy said: 'Frankly, a president whose country is at war should not have to choose under such circumstances,' adding, 'I strongly wish to achieve unity,' according to AFP.

This development follows the public emergence of differences between Fedorov, seen as the architect of the Ukrainian army's modernization, and the army commander, revealing details of their dispute which he said led to his removal and sparked protests in his support.

Fedorov said: 'Instead of focusing on how to defeat Russia using unconventional means, which is the main task of the commander-in-chief, he was preoccupied with finding a way to divide the country we all live in today.'

Fedorov, 35, is popular in Ukraine. Since taking over the Defense Ministry in January, he has led efforts to expand the use of drones and modern technologies to compensate for shortages of soldiers and ammunition and improve the efficiency of Ukrainian forces.

Protests against the dismissal of Ukrainian Defense Minister (Reuters)

Crisis escalates

Indicating the widening fallout of the crisis, Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Air Forces Pavlo Yelizarov announced his resignation in protest over Fedorov's departure, stating he joined the armed forces 'to achieve victory, not to pretend success.' Additionally, Defense Ministry adviser Serhiy Sternenko also announced he was leaving his post.

Criticism also extended to the political arena, as former presidential spokesperson Yulia Mendel attacked Zelenskyy's administration, saying the current governance approach hinders reform, and accused him of closing the door to negotiations with Russia and straying from the path of change—comments that the Ukrainian presidency did not comment on. Ukrainian media indicate that the rift between Fedorov and Syrskyi was one of the main reasons for the minister's removal from the government, while protesters raised banners criticizing the army commander-in-chief and holding him responsible for the minister's dismissal.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has not yet announced a successor for the defense minister, and parliament has not taken a final vote on his resignation, leaving the door open for further debate on the future leadership of the military institution.

The recent government reshuffle is the second broad change Zelenskyy has made in a year, and the fourth change in the defense portfolio since the start of the war in February 2022. The presidency says the move aims to restructure state institutions to meet war requirements, but it has raised widespread questions about its timing and implications for the cohesion of the military institution.

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