The government reshuffle in Ukraine announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky continues. After Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Defense Minister Mikhailo Fedorov has been removed from his post. The 35-year-old technocrat, credited with developing systems that gave Kyiv’s forces a tactical edge against Russia, was dismissed after six months leading the ministry.

The Kyiv Independent also reports that it is not yet clear whether Fedorov will be given another role as part of the government reshuffle Zelensky announced unexpectedly last weekend. According to Financial Times correspondent in Kyiv Christopher Miller, the president is expected to appoint outgoing Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko to replace Fedorov. The decision follows a meeting between the president, Fedorov and Chief of Staff Oleksandr Syrsky, who is seen as a major rival of the outgoing defense minister.

The president declined to comment but reiterated that he wants a military apparatus that is “united” and “on the same wavelength.” “The priority is dialogue between the armed forces and the Ministry of Defense, resolving recruitment issues and closing the skies,” Zelensky added.

Fedorov lists all his achievements in a post

Fedorov, confirming on Telegram that he is no longer defense minister, said simply that “it was a great honor to serve Ukrainians.” He then outlined the results achieved during his six months in office — a list of 22 items that make his removal hard to understand. These include disabling Starlink access for Russian forces, a move that “drastically reduced their ability to wage an effective drone war”; reallocating funds to effectively produce mid- and long-range attack drones, reconnaissance drones and fiber-optic drones, reportedly buying in four months more drones than in all of 2025; and launching a logistics blockade campaign that began isolating Crimea.

Among other accomplishments he cites are a radical reform of the procurement system, the initiation of the first tenders for long-range artillery and for hundreds of thousands of drones — measures he says saved billions of dollars for the state budget — the signing of the first contract for Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T missiles and the request for a European loan to buy PAC-3 systems. He also describes the start of a transformation of the army “unpopular but essential,” introducing open-ended contracts for all, offering some of the world’s highest salaries for infantry and fighter pilots, opening recruitment to foreigners under transparent and advantageous conditions, and implementing incentives to encourage young personnel who left their units to return.

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