Fedorov’s press briefing: the conflict with Syrskyi and the blocking of reforms
Fedorov spoke about this during a briefing on 16 July. He publicly confirmed for the first time that there had been serious disagreements between the leadership of the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff.
Fedorov stated that he had proposed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Syrskyi and the Chief of the General Staff, Andriy Hnatov, be replaced. In his view, a reshuffle of the military leadership was necessary to implement reforms and find asymmetric ways of countering Russia.
At the same time, the former minister denied that he had issued an ultimatum to Zelenskyy, demanding he choose between him and Syrskyi. Following the president’s decision to keep the Commander-in-Chief in post, Fedorov, in his own words, agreed to continue working together.
However, Fedorov claims that the Ministry of Defence’s initiatives subsequently began to be blocked. He cited the example of transferring new specialists to the ministry, a move which required the approval of the General Staff.
According to the former minister, the General Staff did not sign the necessary documents, which meant that even during the war, the Ministry of Defence was unable to recruit people capable of developing and implementing new solutions.
Fedorov also stated that his team had failed to complete the reorganisation of the Ministry of Defence and establish a centre of excellence. He attributed this to resistance from the military leadership.
The former minister accused Syrskyi of being unwilling to discuss problems openly. According to him, the Commander-in-Chief looked for signs of smear campaigns against him and issued ultimatums instead of working together to resolve disputes.
Separately, Fedorov stated that management and personnel decisions within the armed forces often depended on loyalty rather than performance. He claims that commanders with strong performance records might have faced bureaucratic obstacles rather than having their expertise shared with other units.
At the time of publication, there had been no response to these statements from Syrskyi or the General Staff.
Why Fedorov left the Ministry of Defence
According to *Ukrainska Pravda*, the president decided to replace the head of the Ministry of Defence due to a long-standing conflict between Fedorov and Syrskyi. Sources cited by the publication claim that Zelenskyy regularly had to intervene personally in disputes between them.
Fedorov himself confirmed that his departure from the government was due to the impossibility of continuing the planned reforms under the current model of interaction with the General Staff.
Following his resignation, Zelenskyy offered him a position as an adviser within the presidential team. Fedorov declined, stating that he did not require a formal post and planned to continue working on defence technologies.
Fedorov also reported that part of his team had left the Ministry of Defence alongside him. Volunteer Serhiy Sternenko and radio technology specialist Serhiy Beskrestnov, known by the pseudonym Flash, announced that they were stepping down as advisers to the minister.
What Fedorov cited as the results of their work
During the briefing, the former minister also reported on his team’s work. He highlighted an increase in drone procurement, the development of FPV drones, interceptor drones, ground-based robotic systems and long-range strike systems.
Among other achievements, Fedorov cited changes to defence procurement, the development of artificial intelligence projects, support for the Ukrainian ballistic programme, and the introduction of a system to supply military units with drones.
At the same time, the former minister acknowledged that he had not succeeded in completing the restructuring of the Ministry of Defence, fully transitioning procurement to competitive mechanisms, or establishing a system of personal accountability for officials.
Fedorov took charge of the Ministry of Defence in January 2026. Prior to his appointment, he had headed the Ministry of Digital Transformation since 2019 and was one of the longest-serving members of President Zelenskyy’s team.
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