When Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired his defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Wednesday, just seven months into the job, he likely expected a quiet administrative change. Instead, the president now faces something he has rarely encountered since Russia's full-scale invasion: public anger directed at him. Relatively large wartime protests have erupted in Kyiv and other cities, with demonstrators holding signs that read “Fedorov is hell for Russia” and “Zelenskyy shot himself in the foot.” The backlash suggests that by removing a popular reformer, Zelenskyy may have inadvertently created a political rival. Main Developments Fedorov, 35, had no military background when he took over the defence ministry in January 2026. His previous role was minister of digital transformation, where he earned a reputation as a reformer. Upon taking the defence post, he compiled a list of urgent problems: a “chaotic” management system, constant rotations of commanding officers, non-transparent arms distribution, bureaucracy, resistance to reforms from Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii's General Staff, loyalty-based decision-making, and the “isolation” of effective commanders. During his brief tenure, Fedorov pursued tech-driven reforms that resembled Silicon Valley's approach to warfare. He boosted drone production, especially mid and long-range bombers that paralysed Russian supply routes and destroyed fuel depots, oil refineries, and air defence systems. He promoted AI-driven drones that can identify targets without communication with human pilots — a key advantage when Russia jams signals. He also increased the number of ground robots used to supply food and ammunition and rescue wounded soldiers. Read also: 4 reasons China's export boom masks deeper economic trouble Corruption crackdown and Starlink gambit Fedorov cracked down on corruption by making weapons procurement more transparent. In February 2026, he convinced Elon Musk's SpaceX to shut down all Starlink modems in Ukraine. After a verification procedure, the modems came back online — but thousands that had been smuggled to Russia and used by its forces in occupied regions never lit up again. The move temporarily disrupted the precision of Russian drone attacks and communications between their servicemen and commanders. Fedorov's changes angered Syrskii, the 60-year-old four-star general who defended Kyiv in 2022 but has been called a “butcher” for his reported indifference to soldier losses. While Syrskii retained control of combat planning and operations, Fedorov focused on logistics, budgets, reforms, anticorruption measures, and securing Western aid. Background Fedorov was appointed in January 2026 to replace Oleksii Reznikov, who had been defence minister since November 2021. Reznikov was dismissed amid corruption scandals in the ministry, though he himself was not accused of wrongdoing. Zelenskyy had promised a clean break with the old systems, and Fedorov's digital-transformation background was seen as a bid to bring modern efficiency to wartime defence. The defence minister role in Ukraine involves logistics, budgets, international negotiations for aid, and reforms — not battlefield command. That responsibility rests with the commander-in-chief, currently Syrskii. The tension between Fedorov and Syrskii reflected a deeper divide between reformers pushing for transparency and data-driven decisions, and a traditional military hierarchy resistant to change. Fedorov's popularity with the public was unusual for a defence minister. He had no military background and did not claim to. But his visible successes — drone strikes deep inside Russia, the Starlink shutdown, anti-corruption measures — made him a symbol of effective governance in a country weary of bureaucracy and graft. One protester, Taisiya, told Al Jazeera she would like to see Fedorov as president, calling him “a decent, honest person.” Why It Matters The protests expose a rare political vulnerability for Zelenskyy, whose ratings have been sinking, according to analysts. Fedorov has not called for the president's resignation, but his mere presence as a sacked reformer now creates a focal point for public discontent. Pro-Kremlin pundits have already begun pushing conspiracy theories about an alleged attempt by Fedorov to topple Zelenskyy, with Moscow-based analyst Sergey Markov calling the situation “a political riot.” For ordinary Ukrainians, the sacking raises concerns about the direction of the war effort. Fedorov made life easier for average soldiers by improving logistics and reducing corruption in arms procurement. Boris, a drone pilot on leave from the eastern front, said Fedorov hadn't solved all problems — such as finite terms of service for soldiers enlisted years ago, low recruitment numbers, or desertion rates. But the overall sentiment among servicemen at the protest was that Fedorov's departure benefits Russia. “Cotton is rejoicing,” Boris said gloomily, using the Ukrainian slang for pro-war Ru