Zelensky faces political crisis as Fedorov refuses alternative posts

Mykhailo Fedorov’s mostly young supporters are still mounting daily street protests in Kyiv, demanding that President Volodymyr Zelensky reinstate the popular former defence minister. The protests come weeks after Zelensky’s 15 July decision not to re-appoint Fedorov as part of a cabinet reshuffle — a move that has triggered a political crisis even as Russian drones and missiles are intercepted overhead. Fedorov, widely credited with driving much of Ukraine’s recent technological innovation, has so far refused any alternative job Zelensky has offered him. On Thursday, he said there were only three positions worth having to influence the course of the war: minister of defence, commander-in-chief of the military or president of Ukraine. “If you don’t have a ministry under you, you don’t have a budget,” ex-deputy defence minister Alina Frolova said, “and you don’t actually have the authority to do something.” Fedorov’s reference to the presidency did not go unnoticed. One former defence official suggested he became a real candidate for the presidency the moment he was dismissed. But with Ukraine at war and no elections scheduled — the constitution still prevents them in wartime — it is unclear how useful it is for Fedorov to put his head above the political parapet so far in advance. “He’s being childish,” one opposition MP told the BBC, on condition of anonymity. “He’s looking to further his political career, which I think is just stupid in the circumstances where we are.” The president’s supporters say Zelensky has gone to great lengths to resolve the crisis, particularly over the question of who to replace the unpopular commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Eventually he decided on Maj Gen Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, a highly respected former commander of Ukraine’s land forces. “He consulted pretty much every significant figure in the Ukrainian army,” former government adviser Yuriy Sak told the BBC. “So the decision that he has taken now is very well informed, and I support it because General Drapatyi is a young, battle-proven, modern general who will take our defences to a new level, hopefully.” Despite the appointment of an acting defence minister and a new commander-in-chief, the political fallout from Zelensky’s decision continues to reverberate around Kyiv and beyond, raising questions about how long the crisis can be contained while the country faces an ongoing war.