On Sunday, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko resigned, and on Wednesday it became clear that Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov would also be forced to leave after only six months in office.
This seems to be linked to criticism that the country was not sufficiently prepared for winter, says Kjell Engelbrekt, professor of political science at the Swedish National Defence University, who follows Ukrainian politics.
During the winter, Russia launched a fierce attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and the Ukrainian people were hit hard when heat and electricity were cut off. The new Prime Minister, Serhiy Koretskyj, has a background in the energy companies Ukrnafta and Naftogaz, and is therefore, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "the person best prepared for the post of Prime Minister of Ukraine" ahead of winter.
Generation clash
The replacement of Defense Minister Fedorov has been more controversial. On Thursday, demonstrations broke out in several parts of Ukraine demanding his resignation.
The 35-year-old, with a background as a tech entrepreneur and minister for digital transformation, is popular. He has been praised for his role in Ukraine's successful drone efforts and for persuading Elon Musk to shut down Starlink terminals used by the Russian military, among other things.
But the young defense minister, with his new ideas about warfare, found himself in a power struggle with old-school Ukrainian military commanders.
It seems to be a clash of generations and cultures. Fedorov does not have the same military background as the officers who lead the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Conflicts beneath the surface
Zelenskyy reportedly said in a meeting that in a country at war, one cannot “allow the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff to wage war with each other.” The current Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, is proposed by Zelenskyy to become Ukraine’s new Minister of Defense.
He has studied at, among other places, the Kharkiv National Air Force University and can probably communicate in a more direct way with the military leadership, says Kjell Engelbrekt.
As recently as January, Zelenskyy reshuffled the Ukrainian government following corruption allegations.
Friction and conflict are never very far below the surface in Ukraine, says Kjell Engelbrekt.
As long as the country was at a clear disadvantage in the war against Russia, it held together, at least outwardly. But now that it has the upper hand and can strike against Russian targets such as the oil and gas industry, there is a tendency for old conflicts to surface.
