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Fedorov commented on the protests in his support (Photo: Screenshot from a video)
Participants in the protest rallies across the country are not demonstrating on his behalf, but to stand up for their own values, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's outgoing defense minister, said during a briefing on July 16.
"Today, the Ukrainian people did not come out for a specific minister named Fedorov," Fedorov said. “They came out because when the initiative on the battlefield and in the skies started shifting, that trajectory was broken. Ukrainian people can sense when something is not happening in line with the values that are cultivated here.”
He said "this reflects a problem that needs to be solved."
Fedorov stressed that he does not need the position of defense minister for its own sake, and that it only matters to him as a means to "win the war." At the same time, he said that under current conditions, he does not see a clear path to achieving that goal.
Ukraine’s government reshuffle
On July 14, Ukraine's parliament approved Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko's dismissal. Until a new prime minister is appointed and a new cabinet formed, Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal will temporarily lead the government.
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak later said Volodymyr Zelenskyy would nominate Ihor Klymenko, who currently heads the Interior Ministry, to become defense minister in place of Fedorov.
On July 16, Ukraine's parliament is expected to vote on a slate of ministers for the new government under Sergii Koretskyi. Among the expected changes is the replacement of Fedorov as defense minister with Klymenko. Rallies in support of Fedorov are taking place in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, and Lviv.
According to a Financial Times journalist, parliament currently lacks enough votes to confirm Zelenskyy's proposed candidate for defense minister in place of Fedorov. The outlet's sources attributed this to reluctance among some lawmakers to once again back what they view as controversial personnel decisions by the leadership.
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