World Jul 16, 2026 · 1 min read

Zelenskyy defends sacking Ukraine’s defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov

President says he had to choose ‘one side or the other’ after breakdown of relations between ministry and military leadersEurope live – latest updatesUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has defended his decision to dismiss the country’s popular defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, and confirmed...

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The Guardian
by Luke Harding in Kyiv
Zelenskyy defends sacking Ukraine’s defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov

President says he had to choose ‘one side or the other’ after breakdown of relations between ministry and military leaders

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has defended his decision to dismiss the country’s popular defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, and confirmed reports that relations had broken down between the ministry and the country’s top army leadership.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, Zelenskyy said there had been a “challenging dialogue” between Fedorov – widely seen as a reformist and moderniser – and the military’s commander in chief, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi.

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This article was originally published by The Guardian and written by Luke Harding in Kyiv.

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