“Maidan” vs. the Cabinet of Ministers: A scandal has erupted online over Fedorov’s possible resignation
16 July 01:32
Amid the Verkhovna Rada’s expected vote on the new Cabinet lineup, reports have emerged in the media about alleged preparations for protests in support of Defense Minister
Mykhailo Fedorov, who confirmed his resignation on July 15, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
“It was a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as Minister of Defense,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.
As is known, on Thursday, July 16, parliament is set to consider and vote on the new composition of the Cabinet of Ministers. According to several media outlets, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not nominate Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov for this position in the new government.
Instead, he will propose that Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko head the Ministry of Defense.
A debate immediately erupted in political circles over this decision. Veterans, military personnel, volunteers, journalists, and public figures are actively commenting on the personnel decision, and peaceful protests have already been announced in several cities across Ukraine.
For example, Inna Sovsun, a member of parliament from the “Holos” faction, wrote on her Instagram:
“I will not vote for the new Cabinet or Defense Minister Ihor Klymenko; I do not want to support this circus.”
Maria Berlinska, head of the Aerial Reconnaissance Support Center, called Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal as defense minister a “fatal decision” by President Zelenskyy.
“Appointing Fedorov as defense minister was one of President Zelenskyy’s wisest decisions. Firing Fedorov now is one of President Zelenskyy’s biggest mistakes,” the volunteer wrote on Telegram.
Former Member of Parliament Boryslav Bereza speculated that the personnel decision might have been caused by a conflict between Mykhailo Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.
A senior lieutenant in the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the call sign “Alex,” who runs the Telegram channel “Officer,” acknowledged that he currently sees no equally qualified candidates who could replace Fedorov as defense minister.
Kateryna Kobernik, editor-in-chief of “Babel,” offers a grim forecast that Ukrainians are in for a harsh winter.
Natalia Lygachova,editor-in-chief of the online publication “Detector Media,” also commented on the situation surrounding personnel changes at the Ministry of Defense. On Facebook, she noted that after reports emerged that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not nominate Mykhailo Fedorov for the position of defense minister in the new government, journalists asked very few questions of representatives from the Office of the President.
According to Lygachova, in the Presidential Office’s journalists’ chat group—which has over 530 members—only two journalists asked about the reasons behind this personnel decision, while several other colleagues supported them with “likes.”
She also noted that, at the time of writing, no one had raised the issue of a possible conflict between Mykhailo Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, which has been widely discussed on social media and in certain media outlets. In addition, the journalist pointed out that there were virtually no questions about the possible appointment of Ihor Klymenko as defense minister or about who might head the Ministry of Internal Affairs in that case.
At the same time, Lygachova added that journalists later began submitting their questions more actively, and the president’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, promised to forward them to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Online, people are linking the personnel changes to mobilization
Media reports that Igor Klymenko could become the new defense minister sparked a separate debate.
According to RBC-Ukraine, one of the reasons for this decision may be the intention to strengthen the mobilization system and improve coordination between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
As a reminder, the publication, citing its own sources, claims that President Zelenskyy wants to replace Fedorov with Ihor Klymenko (currently serving as Minister of Internal Affairs) in order to “get mobilization in order.”
According to the publication’s source, Zelenskyy believes that since the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be headed by Klymenko’s ally, Ivan Vyhovsky, the two will be able to work together to bring order to the mobilization process.
The Bankova Mail public page , commenting on this article, suggests that mobilization could become even stricter.
Numerous speculations about possible changes to the draft reservation rules and mobilization policy have already appeared on social media
Peaceful protests are being organized against Fedorov’s dismissal
Dmytro Koziatynskyi,a medical service soldier known as “Ulf,” published an appeal on Facebook inviting concerned Ukrainians to join a peaceful protest.
According to him, the gathering is scheduled for July 16 at 9:01 a.m. on Ivan Franko Square in Kyiv.
The veteran explained that the protest was prompted by Mykhailo Fedorov’s resignation at precisely the moment when, in his opinion, the Ministry of Defense had begun to show tangible results from its reforms.
“I urge everyone who cares to come to Franko Square on July 16 at 9:01 a.m. and show the president that we oppose constant reshuffles in the government and the replacement of effective ministers with convenient yes-men. Bring signs and remember that this is a peaceful protest,” Kozyatynsky wrote.
The protests may not be limited to Kyiv. According to information circulating on Facebook and Telegram, peaceful demonstrations may also take place in other cities across Ukraine.
Serhiy Hnezdilov, a military officer, published a list of cities and gathering points for participants.
At the same time, soldier Stanislav Bunyatov (“Osman”) urged Ukrainians to exercise the utmost caution, emphasizing the risks of holding mass gatherings during wartime.
The minister’s critics accuse him of attempting to “organize a Maidan” in order to cling to his position.
“Fedorov is organizing a Maidan to stay in office…”—such claims are actively circulating on anonymous Telegram channels and being discussed behind the scenes.
Boryslav Bereza also responded to calls to take to the streets in protest following reports of Mykhailo Fedorov’s possible dismissal as defense minister. In a Facebook post, he expressed skepticism toward such initiatives and suggested that the campaign in support of the minister might be orchestrated.
Berez stated that, according to his information, Fedorov is allegedly trying to keep his position and is reaching out to opinion leaders, asking them to support calls for protests.
In addition, the former lawmaker criticized Fedorov for failing to take a public stance during other high-profile events, particularly regarding the resignation of Valeriy Zaluzhny.
Fedorov’s advisors are also leaving the Ministry of Defense
Following Mykhailo Fedorov’s resignation, two of his advisers also announced they were stepping down.
Volunteer Serhiy Sternenko stated that he is stepping down from his position as advisor to the minister.
According to him, many reforms failed to materialize due to bureaucratic resistance and systemic opposition.
Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov, an expert on unmanned technologies, also announced his departure.
He noted that he would no longer have access to internal situation analysis systems and acknowledged that Russian media outlets are already openly celebrating his dismissal.
How Russian propagandists reacted
Ukrainian social media users pointed out that a number of Russian “Z-channels” and propaganda outlets reacted positively to the news of Mykhailo Fedorov’s resignation.
In some reports, they directly describe the personnel changes as beneficial to Russia.
What is known about Fedorov’s resignation
The day before, Mikhail Fedorov officially confirmed that he was stepping down as defense minister.
In his Telegram post, he summarized his achievements, which included:
- a massive increase in the production of Ukrainian drones;
- the development of the Unmanned Systems Forces;
- reform of defense procurement;
- strengthening of air defense;
- the launch of new programs to support the military;
- international agreements on armaments.
At the same time, he acknowledged that some of the reforms had not been completed.
Earlier, "Komersant Ukrainian" had already published insider information about the reorganization of ministries and the candidates for ministerial posts.
