Fedorov on his resignation: I will not join opposition to Zelenskyy and I will not go out to join protesters
Former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whose resignation sparked a wave of mass protests, has publicly refused to join the opposition to Volodymyr Zelenskyy whilst martial law remains in force. Furthermore, he stated that he would refrain from meeting with protesters calling for his reinstatement.
According to Censor.NET, he made these remarks in an interview with The New York Times published on Friday, 31 July.
"I don’t want this situation to artificially drag me into politics," Fedorov said.
He added that he does not view the situation "as a political struggle" and, at the same time, emphasised that he would not return to Zelenskyy’s team – unless he is reinstated as defence minister.
He also stated that he would like protesters at the rallies to focus not on his position, but on the strategy for waging the war.
As reported, a protest march against Fedorov’s dismissal took place in Kyiv the day before.
Fedorov’s resignation
- On 14 July, the Verkhovna Rada backed 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 Serhiy 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 to the post instead.
