The Economist: Fedorov’s resignation triggered a government crisis in Ukraine

The Economist magazine has described the dismissal of Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov as a miscalculation by President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying it triggered a government crisis.

According to the publication’s sources, the dismissal of Armed Forces of Ukraine Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky will follow within days of Fedorov’s resignation. A conflict existed between Fedorov and Syrsky.

“We see enormous demand within the country to demonstrate that the army is changing,” a senior Ukrainian official told journalists.

At the same time, The Economist notes that appointing a new commander will not solve Zelensky’s problems or relieve him of the difficulties associated with the need to “balance between the demands of protesters and maintaining his own authority.”

Fedorov took charge of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry in January of this year and was dismissed on July 15. According to the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, the decision was made because of his conflict with Syrsky. The personnel changes triggered a wave of rallies in support of the dismissed minister. On July 19, the outlet Vremya.ua reported that protest participants had shifted from supporting Fedorov to criticizing Zelensky.

Fedorov’s former adviser became an adviser to Zelensky following his resignation.