Zelensky fires defense minister credited with beefing up Ukraine’s successful drone strategy — sparking protests

New York Post ^ | July 16, 2026 | Caitlin Doornbos and Ronny Reyes

[MinorityRepublican]

Protests broke out across Ukraine Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelensky fired his defense minister to allegedly appease his top military general, with troops warning that the political spat could spell doom in the front lines.

Zelensky’s Wednesday night decision to fire the tech-savvy Mykhailo Fedorov, 35, resulted in demonstrations across the country and even the resignation of a senior air force commander.

While he was only appointed in January, Fedorov has been credited for accelerating the Ukrainian drone program, which has decimated Russia’s forces and kept the invading army largely at bay in 2026.

Fedorov lamented the fallout and claimed that long-time Zelensky ally and Ukraine’s top general Oleksandr Syrskyi gave the president an ultimatum to either fire the defense minister or he would walk out.

“Instead of figuring out how to asymmetrically overpower Russia, which is [Syrskyi’s] task, he figured out how to split the country, where we are today,” Fedorov told reporters.

Fedorov, however, said that his push for advances in Ukraine’s military was repeatedly met with resistance from Syrskyi, with the bickering leading both men to repeatedly ask Zelensky to fire the other.

The ousted defense chief maintains that he has respect for Syrskyi for his accomplishments in the earlier years of the war, but said that the general remains trapped in the past and is not thinking about the best way for Ukraine to move forward.

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TOPICS: Ukraine
KEYWORDS: 200000deserters; 200000notmrbeanfans; duma55; mrbeanoncrack; notourwar; sendanothertrillion

[House Atreides]

I suspect he fired the wrong one.

[MinorityRepublican]

Not the first time Zelensky fired a competent General—Valerii Zaluzhnyi had to step down two years ago.

[Rio]

Probably forgot his 10% for the big guy.

[adorno]

I think the general that had the most to do with the battlefield successes needed to stay.

But, why change things at any level if all was going fine? Zelensky should’ve told them both to stop the quarreling and do their respective jobs.

[adorno]

Probably forgot his 10% for the big guy.

How much was that 10% and where was it coming from?

I suspect there are plenty of people in Ukraine getting their 10% too, and Zelensky will have to produce more than a 1,000% to meet the needs.

But, once anybody gets their cut, why do they stick around?

[Williams]

Whoever is right here, people are such incredible trouble makers.

Doesn’t matter what’s at stake, they have to mess with each other.

[AlaskaErik]

Colossal blunder by Zelensky. Keeping a relic of the Soviet era while getting rid of the reformer who has made a huge difference in the way Ukraine has been fighting against Russia.

[Mount Athos]

I think he might have already reversed this decision.

Supposedly he made some rich people mad by refusing to limit defense contracts to... those who had (corrupt) preference before.