Pavlo Yelizarov, Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Air Forces, submitted his resignation following the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Yelizarov announced this on his Facebook page.
"Unfortunately, in the fifth year of the war, I have written a report requesting my discharge from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I believe that M. Fedorov’s removal is a great blow to the country’s defense capabilities. Glory to Ukraine!” Yelizarov wrote, posting a photo of the resignation letter.
In the report, Yelizarov cited as the reason for his resignation the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whom he called “the initiator of strategic reforms in the country’s air defense sector, the blocking of which will result in numerous casualties and destruction in Ukraine as a result of the Russian Federation’s aggression.”
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on the evening of July 16, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced that he was stepping down from the position he had held since January of this year. He outlined what his team had and had not managed to achieve during that time.
Serhii Sternenko and military technology expert Serhii Beskrestnov (Flash) also announced that they are no longer serving as advisors to the Ukrainian defense minister.
According to Ukrainian Pravda, Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided to dismiss Mykhailo Fedorov from the post of defense minister due to a prolonged conflict between him and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi. It was reportedly one of the key factors behind the personnel decision.
In addition, according to media reports, Ihor Klymenko, who currently heads the Ministry of Internal Affairs, may become the defense minister in the new government.
Meanwhile, today, July 16, protests began in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine. People are demanding that the decision to dismiss Mykhailo Fedorov be reconsidered and are calling for the reform agenda at the Ministry of Defense to be maintained.
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