Multiple Ukrainian MPs have reportedly urged former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov to start his own political party following President Vladimir Zelensky’s dismissal of Fedorov during a government reshuffle, an action widely condemned as destabilizing.
Zelensky framed the dismissal as an attempt to resolve what he called an irreconcilable conflict between the popular young technocrat and Ukraine’s Soviet-trained top general, Aleksandr Syrsky. However, this decision has sparked protests in Kiev and other cities, with demonstrators demanding Zelensky reinstate Fedorov and fire Syrsky.
A recent poll by the Kiev Institute of Sociology found that Fedorov leads Zelensky by 2 percentage points in net approval, largely due to widespread distrust in the president. The survey also showed that both leaders trail Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny, who was dismissed by Zelensky in 2024 after Kiev’s failed counteroffensive.
One Ukrainian MP from Zelensky’s Servant of the People party drew a direct parallel between Zaluzhny’s dismissal and the current scandal: “He did the same thing with Zaluzhny and now Zaluzhny is seen as the main person who could defeat Mr Zelensky in an election.”
Zelensky, whose presidential term expired in May 2024, has refused to call new elections, citing ongoing conflict with Russia. However, a hypothetical Ipsos poll revealed that Zaluzhny would beat Zelensky 23% to 20% in a first-round presidential contest.
The protests following Fedorov’s dismissal echo those that occurred last summer after Zelensky attempted to curtail the powers of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). That reform was abandoned due to widespread public protests, media criticism, and pressure from Western officials.
According to bne IntelliNews editor-in-chief Ben Aris, Fedorov’s dismissal has prompted behind-the-scenes EU pressure on Kyiv. “Rapidly fading enthusiasm for supporting Ukraine” is a growing concern in the European Union, he added, noting that Greece has refused to hand over its stockpile of 200 PAC-2 Patriot missiles despite demands from Brussels.
Aris also highlighted political turbulence in key European nations: the UK is “in the same sort of political chaos as Ukraine,” French President Emmanuel Macron will step down next year, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces weakened authority from regional election losses to the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD).
