KYIV: Ukraine’s ex-defence minister – whose ousting trigged per week of protests and forced out the country’s commander-in-chief – stated Thursday (Jul 23) he was rejecting affords by US President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a brand new function.
The favored reformist Mykhailo Fedorov stated he would solely settle for a return to his outdated function, the place he may fight “corruption”, “root out a tradition of lies” and “full the military’s transformation.”
Organisers have urged fresh protests calling for Fedorov to be reinstated after Zelenskyy unexpectedly eliminated him from workplace after simply six months within the function.
“I cannot settle for any place apart from Minister of Defence,” Fedorov stated in a press release to reporters.
“No different function carries the precise authority to fight procurement corruption, full the military’s transformation, plan and execute uneven operations in opposition to the enemy, root out a tradition of lies and unaccountability inside the system,” he added.
Zelenskyy’s firing of Fedorov final week plunged Kyiv into its deepest political disaster since Russia invaded in 2022.
1000’s of younger folks protested throughout the nation in opposition to the choice.
Fedorov, 35, was appointed in January on a mandate to modernise and digitise the Ukrainian army.
He was eliminated after months of behind-the-scenes clashes with the military command, who he stated resisted his calls to vary.
