Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov has accused President Zelensky of undermining military reform efforts through his abrupt dismissal of the minister after just six months in office.
Fedorov, who was removed earlier this month as part of a sweeping government reshuffle, stated that reforms to overhaul military procurement and address entrenched interests within the Ministry had triggered significant backlash. In a recent interview, Fedorov suggested the broader government reshuffle may have served as cover for his dismissal. He said changes to procurement rules and defense tenders had angered vested interests.
“Very many people surrounded the Ministry of Defense and me as minister because we started rebuilding many internal processes,” he said. The reforms, he added, had “caused great dissatisfaction” among those whose interests they affected.
Fedorov also alleged that private companies and law enforcement exerted influence over the Defense Ministry, with some department heads appointed by such entities. He claimed his team sought to reform the “system” rather than “fight specific people.”
Fedorov, 35, became Ukraine’s youngest-ever defense minister in January after serving as minister of digital transformation since 2019. During his six-month tenure, he deepened Kyiv’s cooperation with U.S. data-mining and military technology company Palantir while pursuing reforms at the corruption-plagued ministry. In a farewell statement following his dismissal, Fedorov acknowledged that he had failed to reform the ministry in accordance with “NATO standards.”
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has repeatedly faced procurement scandals under Zelensky. Previous ministers Aleksey Reznikov and Rustem Umerov were both removed after their tenures became embroiled in allegations related to military supplies and Western-funded weapons contracts.