Ousted Ukraine defense minister accuses army chief of trying to 'split the country'
Ukraine's ousted defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Thursday accused commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky of trying to divide the war-torn country, detailing a feud between the pair that led to his removal and triggered protests supporting him.
"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 we're all living in today," Fedorov told journalists, including AFP, at a briefing in Kyiv.
17 July 2026, 18:19
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(Google) Zelensky explained to lawmakers that the personal and professional conflict between Fedorov and Syrskyi had become completely unmanageable, stating that they "lived in two different worlds".
The Procurement Loop: The General Staff and the Defense Ministry stopped listening to each other. According to leaks from a closed-door meeting reported by Ukrainska Pravda, Zelensky lamented that Syrskyi would complain Fedorov wasn't providing gear for specific operations, while Fedorov would retort that the military had the gear but was using it incorrectly.
The Ultimatum: Fedorov had actively asked Zelensky to fire Syrskyi. When Zelensky refused to remove his top general, Syrskyi issued an ultimatum that either he or Fedorov had to go, forcing Zelensky to make a definitive choice to ensure wartime unity.
