x.com/IAPonomarenko/status/2084384183393423673
1 correction found
without the slightest public explanation, fired the defense minister.
Zelensky did publicly explain the dismissal. On July 16, 2026, he said the Defense Ministry and military leadership had an irreparable conflict and unresolved problems that forced him to choose between them.
Full reasoning
This clause is contradicted by Zelensky's own public remarks on July 16, 2026, the day the reshuffle unfolded.
At a public briefing reported by Ukrainska Pravda, Zelensky said the Defense Ministry and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi had been unable to work together effectively, that there were unresolved problems on the battlefield, in brigades, and with mobilization, and that he was acting because the two sides had failed to achieve unity. He explicitly framed the decision as his response to that conflict.
The same day, Associated Press likewise reported that Zelensky publicly cited friction between Mykhailo Fedorov and Syrskyi and said at a news conference: "If the sides can't resolve an issue, I will have to resolve it."
So readers may disagree with Zelensky's explanation or find it insufficient, but it is factually wrong to say he acted "without the slightest public explanation."
2 sources
- Zelenskyy explains decision to replace Fedorov: there are problems and there is no unity | Ukrainska Pravda
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy... acknowledged that Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi have been unable to work together effectively and that problems on the battlefield, in military brigades and with mobilisation remain unresolved.
- Protesters rally in Kyiv as Zelenskyy moves to oust Ukraine's defense minister
In making the changes, Zelenskyy cited friction between outgoing Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi... "I'm just showing that if the sides can't resolve an issue, I will have to resolve it," Zelenskyy said at a news conference.