Zelenskyy Considers Dismissing Top General Amid Protests Over Defense Minister's Ouster

Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets in Kyiv and other major cities to protest the dismissal of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a move that has exposed deep rifts in the country's war leadership. The protests, the largest since July 2023, were largely driven by younger citizens and included active and reserve soldiers who supported Fedorov's vision for a modernized, drone-centric approach to the conflict.

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Our choice is Fedorov, Bring back Fedorov!

Fedorov, a 35-year-old former online marketing entrepreneur, had been a key figure in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's administration since 2019. After moving to the Defense Ministry in January, he aggressively pushed for strengthening drone capabilities and advocated for a war strategy that prioritized minimizing soldier casualties through the use of drones and ground robots. His initiatives included long-range drone strikes on Russian rear facilities and Crimea, earning him popularity among younger demographics and soldiers wary of costly ground assaults.

His dismissal, however, has intensified a conflict with Oleksandr Syrskyi, the 61-year-old Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Syrskyi, a career military officer with Soviet-era training, favors a more traditional approach, emphasizing conventional firepower like tanks and artillery. He is credited with defending Kyiv early in the invasion and retaking Kharkiv and Kherson, but his aggressive tactics have also earned him the nickname "butcher" among some soldiers due to high casualties.

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The two had fundamentally different views on how the war should be conducted. The former defense minister saw drones and automation as the future of war, while the general adhered to traditional doctrine centered on assault infantry and artillery.

The fundamental disagreement between Fedorov and Syrskyi centered on the future of warfare: Fedorov saw drones and automation as the way forward, while Syrskyi adhered to established doctrines. The Financial Times reported that Fedorov's push for anti-corruption reforms within the military also met resistance from figures like Syrskyi, who argued for focusing solely on the war effort. Fedorov, post-dismissal, publicly called for the replacement of Syrskyi and the General Staff to effectively combat Russia with asymmetric warfare.

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To defeat the enemy asymmetrically with minimal losses, the Commander-in-Chief and the General Staff must be replaced.

President Zelenskyy, facing significant public pressure, is now reportedly contemplating Syrskyi's removal. He has met with six key commanders, excluding Syrskyi, as he searches for a successor who can maintain the defense of the 1,200 km front line. However, some analysts caution that changing military leadership during wartime could be a strategic misstep. Alla Poedie, a strategist at the University of Lyon 3, noted that while drones are essential, they cannot replace ground troops, and Fedorov's broader reform agenda might have been ill-timed amidst the immediate need to defend the front lines.

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Drones are essential, but they cannot replace troops. Fedorov tried to comprehensively change the military and the system instead of focusing on the immediate priority (defending the ground front).