President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has removed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and appointed energy executive Sergii Koretskyi as the new prime minister.
This reshuffle comes as Ukraine manages internal political pressure and shifts its leadership structure amid ongoing successes in the war against Russia. The decision to replace the popular defence chief has sparked immediate public backlash in the capital.
More than 1,000 people gathered in Kyiv to protest the removal of Fedorov [1]. The demonstrations reflect a tension between the president's desire to restructure his cabinet and the public's support for the outgoing defence minister.
The political instability coincides with continued Russian aggression. Russian strikes overnight killed four civilians [2] and wounded 20 others [2].
Zelenskyy said the changes are part of a broader effort to optimize government functions during the conflict. The appointment of Koretskyi, an energy executive, suggests a strategic pivot toward stabilizing the nation's critical infrastructure and power grid as the war persists.
Fedorov's departure marks a significant change in the military leadership chain. The reshuffle occurs as the administration attempts to balance wartime efficiency with the demands of a population fatigued by years of conflict.
“President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has removed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov”
The replacement of a popular defence minister with an energy executive as prime minister indicates a shift in priority toward economic and infrastructural resilience. By installing Koretskyi, Zelenskyy is likely prioritizing the stability of the energy sector—a frequent target of Russian attacks—over the continuity of military administration. However, the scale of the protests in Kyiv suggests that the public views the removal of Fedorov as a risk to wartime stability, potentially creating a domestic political challenge for the president.
