Fedorov on his resignation: Reason is linked to procurement, I have stepped on the toes of many people
Former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has stated that the real reason for his resignation was the reform of defence procurement, rather than a conflict with the military leadership.
He spoke about this in an interview with "Ukrainska Pravda", reports Censor.NET.
Fedorov revealed the real reasons behind his resignation
"The reason, which is linked to procurement, to tenders, and to the fact that we began to overhaul processes in this area – this caused great dissatisfaction among many people, who began to constantly exert influence and spread negativity not only around the president, but also across the media landscape as a whole," said the former minister.
Fedorov stated that he was not fighting against specific individuals or groups, but was seeking to change the system itself. Among his main objectives, he cited the launch of tenders, the restructuring of management within the Ministry of Defence, and a new approach to staff recruitment in line with the reform objectives.
According to the former minister, he viewed pressure from various quarters as part of the process and believed that, to resolve the problems, it was first and foremost necessary to change the fundamental principles governing the ministry’s operations.
Furthermore, the former defence minister emphasised that in April he had warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy about a possible smear campaign.
"But sometime in April, I warned the President: look, people will come to you now and say that there’s something wrong with me, that I have political ambitions, that I own drone companies, that I’ve disrupted certain processes, and so on. You must cross-check this information with me, because I’ve stepped on the toes of many people and companies. And this is where I need your support. You can see that Ukraine’s largest Telegram channels have been bought out and have started working purely against me and my team. Criminal cases have begun to emerge involving people who work with me. Ultimately, we can see that this has led to a change of government and to the fact that I am no longer in office," said Fedorov.
Fedorov’s resignation
- On 14 July, the Verkhovna Rada approved a resolution on the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. The entire Cabinet automatically resigned along with her.
- On 15 July, Mykhailo Fedorov announced that he was stepping down as head of the Ministry of Defence.
- Rallies in support of Mykhailo Fedorov took place in Dnipro, Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Lutsk, Cherkasy and other cities. Participants are protesting against his resignation.
- On 16 July, the Verkhovna Rada voted to appoint a new Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The Prime Minister is Serhii Koretskyi.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he would nominate Yevhen Khmara for the post of Minister of Defence of Ukraine. Prior to this, he had instructed Khmara to act as head of the Ministry of Defence.
- Protests against Fedorov’s dismissal continued in Ukrainian cities. In addition to demanding that Fedorov be reinstated as Defence Minister, people called for the dismissal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
- On 21 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Oleksandr Syrskyi from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He appointed General Mykhailo Drapatyi in his place.
