Zelenskyy Reshuffles Government Amid Military Feud and Mass Protests

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initiated a sweeping government overhaul between July 15 and 17, 2026, dismissing Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. The reshuffle was primarily driven by a breakdown in relations between Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Zelenskyy stated that a wartime president should not have to choose sides but ultimately decided to retain Syrskyi, citing the need for unity between the army and the ministry.

Fedorov, a reformer credited with expanding drone warfare and curbing corruption, publicly accused Syrskyi of blocking technological initiatives and fostering a dysfunctional culture of lies. In response to the dismissal, thousands of protesters gathered in Kyiv's Franko Square and in cities including Lviv, Odesa, and Dnipro. The move also prompted the resignation of Air Force Deputy Commander Pavlo Yelizarov, who called the decision a great evil for national defense.

To stabilize the executive branch, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Serhii Koretskyi, former CEO of Naftogaz, as Prime Minister with 289 votes. Koretskyi pledged to prioritize the energy grid and domestic arms production. Additionally, Zelenskyy appointed Major General Yevhen Khmara, acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine, as acting Defense Minister, while offering the role of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council to former Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. These political shifts coincided with intensified Russian missile strikes across Ukraine and a visit from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.