Fedorov rejects any other position except defense minister

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, dismissed a week ago, said he would not accept any new government post. He asserted that none of the other positions carries the real authority needed to tackle corruption in procurement, complete the military’s ongoing transformation, plan and carry out asymmetric actions and operations against the enemy, root out the culture of lies and irresponsibility within the system, or finish the other work his team had already begun at the Defense Ministry.

According to Fedorov, his team joined the Defense Ministry at President Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation with “a concrete plan for how to end the war,” and that plan “was being implemented step by step.” As a result, he said, Ukraine had begun to regain the initiative “for the first time in recent years.”

Shortly before Fedorov’s statement, Zelensky had offered him the post of deputy prime minister for military innovation. Fedorov served as Ukraine’s defense minister from January to July 2026, when Zelensky removed him amid a conflict with Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. His dismissal triggered protests across Ukraine, with demonstrators demanding Fedorov’s reinstatement and Syrskyi’s firing. Zelensky soon dismissed Syrskyi as well.