KYIV: Ukraine’s ousted defence minister issued stunning public criticism of the army’s top commander on Thursday, forcing President Volodymyr Zelensky to call for unity to halt signs of an emerging split in the military top ranks.

Large protests erupted in several Ukrainian cities on Thursday against the removal of popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had been brought in six months ago to digitise and modernise an army fatigued after four years fighting off the Russian invasion.

Following Fedorov’s removal, Zel­ensky announced on Thursday he had appointed Yevgeniy Khmara — head of Ukraine’s SBU security service — as acting defence minister.

“Khmara has gained extensive and, in many respects, unprecedented experience with technological combat operations,” Zelensky said in a Facebook post. The spiralling leadership row risks throwing uncertainty on the war effort at a time when Ukraine was in one of its best positions for months.

Protests erupt across the country against defence minister’s ouster

Kyiv’s troops have largely halted the pace of Russia’s advance while pounding Russian oil and military sites with long-range drones, triggering a nationwide fuel crisis inside its neighbour. After being forced to resign, Fedorov on Thursday accused Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky of dividing the country.

“Instead of figuring out how to defeat Russia asymmetrically — which is the commander-in-chief’s task — he figured out how to split the country,” Fedorov told reporters.

He criticised slow bureaucracy and a lack of flexibility, questioning whether Ukraine could defeat Russia with Syrsky in charge of the army. “In this configuration, I personally don’t know how to win the war,” he said, wearing his trademark jeans and dark T-shirt, speaking in front of a large screen showing drones.

He also alleged Syrsky had engineered his removal through an ultimatum issued to Zelensky after months of clashes. Zelensky himself issued a plea for “unity” and said the two sides — the defence ministry and the army command — were barely on speaking terms.

“A president in wartime should not have to choose in such a situation, honestly,” he said, speaking alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kyiv. “I would very much like unity.”

‘New rules’

A soldier serving in Ukraine’s army said the political chaos in Kyiv could hit the war effort. “For some, replacing a minister is merely a political reshuffle. For us, it can determine whether a needed drone arrives on time, whether essential equipment is purchased,” they said, asking to speak anonymously to criticise the decision.

In a public statement, Syrsky tried to stem the criticism, defending his results and calling to “focus on the war”. But one of his most senior commanders — a rumoured possible successor — came to Fedorov’s defence and called for the pace of reform to continue.

Joint Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapaty said the army “needs change” and “new rules” as he thanked Fedorov for “not being afraid to tackle issues”.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2026