Home › Politics › Zelensky's cabinet reshuffle and the dismissal of Fedorov
Zelensky's cabinet reshuffle and the dismissal of Fedorov
Summary
A look back at the two-day shake-up in Kyiv that removed the prime minister and the defence minister.
What happened in Kyiv on 15 July 2026, and why did it provoke protests? On that date President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a decision that, as reported at the time, drew protests in Ukraine.
The dismissal came a day after Yuliia Svyrydenko stepped down as prime minister on 14 July 2026. Her departure was part of a cabinet reshuffle carried out by Zelensky.
Taken together, the two moves covered the offices of prime minister and defence minister within 48 hours. The reports from those days describe the removal of Fedorov as the step that prompted public protest, while Svyrydenko's resignation was presented as part of the wider reorganisation of the government.
The reports from 14 and 15 July 2026 identify no other changes and no reasons for the decisions, so this account is limited to the two moves themselves: the prime minister's resignation and the defence minister's dismissal.
