Ousted defense minister Fedorov says Ukraine is 'slowly losing' war against Russia

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told Reuters that the country's leadership lacks an overall vision for winning the war against Russia. He added that corruption and slow adoption of new technology are further holding Ukraine back.

Fedorov said the conflict has reached a turning point that will shape its future course, but that Ukraine appears to be gradually and slowly losing. He argued that technologies such as AI-controlled drones, cheap interceptor missiles, and ballistic missiles — already being developed by Ukrainian manufacturers — could shift the war in Kyiv's favor. The problem, he said, is the absence of a unified strategy for deploying such technologies effectively once they are ready.

Fedorov also criticized the Ukrainian state apparatus as highly inefficient, saying it functions at only about 5% effectiveness.

Clash with the president's office

President Volodymyr Zelensky's office responded that Fedorov had spoken positively about the war's progress as recently as during his own tenure as defense minister.

Fedorov, a former member of Zelensky's team, previously served as minister of digital transformation before becoming defense minister. Just six months into that role, in July 2026, he was dismissed following a clash with then-commander-in-chief of the armed forces Oleksandr Syrsky. His dismissal triggered protests in Ukraine. Zelensky subsequently removed Syrsky as well and, according to media reports, offered Fedorov other government posts. Fedorov, however, said he would return only as defense minister — a position already filled by Yevhen Khmara, the former head of Ukraine's Security Service.

Amid the dispute over his dismissal, Fedorov gained political momentum, placing third in several private polls on a hypothetical presidential election. He soon after called for elections to be held even before the war ends, a proposal Zelensky's office dismissed as showing a complete lack of realism.