Ex-defence minister Fedorov says dispute with former military chief Syrskyi was a clash of visions, not a personal feud

Former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said that the Ministry of Defence did not block a single decision by the General Staff or then-commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi during his time in office. He also denied that his differences with Syrskyi were personal.

Source: Fedorov in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "There was no personal conflict with the commander-in-chief in the usual sense. It was more a difference in vision of how the war should be fought. But that vision had also to be translated into concrete reforms, projects and operations.

I had presented this vision to the president, probably even before my appointment. I've been working on it since 2023, refining and updating it as the situation evolves. I then presented it to the commander-in-chief and the chief of the General Staff. We had more of an institutional conflict, centred on how this vision should be implemented. There was also a cultural element to it: young leaders should be trusted with more freedom, decisions need to be made faster, and reforms that have already been started need to be seen through."

Details: Fedorov said the Defence Ministry did not block a single decision by the General Staff or the commander-in-chief while he was defence minister.

Quote: "Because the army is fighting 24/7 and it has to be as effective as possible, even when I disagree with certain decisions."

More details: Fedorov also stressed that he had made no ultimatums about retaining his post.

He said that after the press briefing and amid the protests, he had been offered a number of "cushy jobs", but refused to take on token positions.

Quote: "I simply said that I had a certain vision of what to do next. Wherever I am, I will follow that vision, but I won't take on a token position. I see myself as a manager who knows how to build a system and achieve results. And when I don't see results, I find that profoundly demotivating.

So there was no ultimatum in this situation. I was offered positions, and I said: no thank you, I'm going to work in a different field. But if I am needed to implement the vision of the war, then as defence minister I can continue this work and achieve the result I outlined."

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