KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine fought Russia's more than four-year-old invasion under an interim defense minister Friday, a day after a government reshuffle exposed a deep split between the military's old guard and young innovators over how to fight the war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's major shake-up of his government on Thursday included the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister and the appointment of a new prime minister. The move unsettled Ukraine's military leadership, triggered public outcry and tested Zelenskyy's authority at a time when Ukraine had recently gained traction in the war.
Zelenskyy said he asked Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara, acting head of the state's security service and a highly regarded special operations expert, to take over defense minister duties. He said late Thursday he would ask Parliament to formally approve Khmara's appointment as required by law.
That step could face delays. Ukrainian law requires the defense minister to be civilian, meaning a serving soldier or security service officer must leave active duty before formal appointment. Lawmakers will also be on summer recess through mid-August.
What the Right Is Saying
Military traditionalists and supporters of the established command structure have defended the reshuffle as necessary for operational coherence.
Relations between 35-year-old Fedorov and Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the 60-year-old commander of Ukraine's armed forces who began his military career in the former Soviet Union, had broken down, according to Zelenskyy, making Fedorov's position untenable.
Supporters of the current military leadership argue that unified command is essential for prosecuting a grinding attritional war and that bureaucratic efficiency cannot override strategic unity on the battlefield.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive and modernization advocates have rallied behind Fedorov, who is credited with transforming Ukraine into a global leader in drone technology and fighting corruption within military procurement.
We transformed Ukraine into a global tech leader and a defense powerhouse, Fedorov said Friday on social media after his dismissal. He defended his record after just six months in the role.
Thousands of people demonstrated against Fedorov's removal across Ukrainian cities Thursday, with protests continuing in Kyiv on Friday. Demonstrators carried signs reading, Don't ruin something that works.
I don't think they should replace an effective leader and manager like Fedorov, said Olha Horoshkova, a protester who told The Associated Press her father has been serving in the armed forces since 2022. She said he reported noticeable changes under Fedorov: A little less bureaucracy now, and things have genuinely become easier.
Another protester, Yehor Pohrebniak, argued that army chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi's vision of war is already outdated. War is changing very rapidly, he said. We need more technological solutions.,
What the Numbers Show
Khmara has led the SBU security service since January. He previously commanded the SBU's elite Alpha special forces unit, which he joined in 2011, before being promoted to major general in 2024. He is known as architect of Operation Spiderweb, one of Ukraine's most spectacular attacks when it struck Russian air bases last year.
Ukrainian drones struck 12 Russian vessels in the Black Sea overnight Thursday into Friday, according to Robert Brovdi, head of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces. The vessels included nine dry cargo ships, one tanker, one gas carrier and one tugboat. Brovdi said Ukrainian forces struck 159 Russian vessels in the Black and Azov seas over the past 12 days.
Russian attacks on Ukraine overnight killed at least four civilians and wounded 20 others, Zelenskyy said. In Odesa, two people were killed including a woman walking with her children in a park, regional officials said. Two more died in Zaporizhzhia and three were injured in Kharkiv.
Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 243 Ukrainian drones overnight into Friday. Three civilians were killed in Ukrainian drone attacks over the previous 24 hours according to the Moscow-appointed head of occupied Kherson region.
Ukrainian forces also destroyed a Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber in Engels, approximately 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, Zelenskyy reported.
The Bottom Line
The government shake-up reveals deeper tensions within Ukraine's war effort between those advocating rapid technological adaptation and those favoring traditional military methods. Whether Khmara can secure parliamentary confirmation remains uncertain given legal civilian requirements and the summer recess. Fedorov's supporters have mobilized significant public pressure, making clear that any perceived rollback of defense modernization efforts carries political risk for Zelenskyy's administration at a critical juncture in the conflict.