Zelenskyy: Long-range strikes are not the work of one person
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in an interview with Sky News that long-range strikes are not the work of one person, but the result of a collective effort.
Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with Sky News
Details: Responding to a question about the role played by former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov in Ukraine's military successes and his focus on drone technology, Zelenskyy said that although he respects both Fedorov and Oleksandr Syrskyi, former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they both recognise that long-range strike operations inside Russian territory are not the work of one person. Such operations involve the coordinated efforts of the intelligence services, military intelligence units and soldiers on the ground.
Quote: "If you focus on the important things during this war, you have to understand – first it's a warrior, it's a soldier.
If you don't have a soldier on the front, if he's running back or if you think that you can use only drones and you don't need soldiers, you will fail.
Because there are infiltrations of the enemy and if you don't have soldiers on the front, you will lose this territory, you will lose the village, and village after village, you will lose the city."
Details: Asked whether the former defence minister could return to his previous post, Zelenskyy did not answer directly. However, he indicated that he has neither the time nor the opportunity to allow internal disagreements to affect Ukraine's military strategy.
Previously: The tenth mass protest against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov as head of the Ministry of Defence took place in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on 25 July.
Background:
- Since 16 July, protests have been taking place in Kyiv and other cities every day, with demonstrators demanding that Fedorov be reinstated as defence minister and that Oleksandr Syrskyi be dismissed as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that Fedorov and Syrskyi had been unable to find common ground and that problems on the battlefield, within brigades and with mobilisation remained unresolved.
- Zelenskyy announced he would propose that parliament appoint Yevhenii Khmara as minister of defence. Khmara will serve as acting minister of defence on the president's instruction.
- On 22 July, Zelenskyy announced his decision to dismiss Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and appoint Mykhailo Drapatyi to replace him.
- According to Ukrainska Pravda sources, Zelenskyy offered Fedorov several options to remain in government, including the position of deputy prime minister for technological development. However, Fedorov has opposed the idea because he does not understand why he was dismissed from the Ministry of Defence.
- Ex-serviceman Dmytro Koziatynskyi announced an open-ended protest starting on 24 July demanding the reinstatement of Mykhailo Fedorov as minister of defence.
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