Expert: Power struggle behind ministerial changes in Ukraine
Lack of winter preparations and a power struggle within the military are behind the Ukrainian president replacing both the prime minister and defense minister. This is the assessment of Kjell Engelbrekt, professor of political science at the Swedish National Defense University.
Last Sunday, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko resigned, and on Wednesday it became clear that Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov will 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 the winter, says Kjell Engelbrekt, professor of political science at the Swedish National Defense 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 heating and electricity were cut off. The new Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky 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 the winter.
Generational clash
The replacement of Defense Minister Fedorov has been more controversial. On Thursday, demonstrations broke out in several places in Ukraine demanding his resignation.
The 35-year-old, with a background as a tech entrepreneur and Minister of Digital Transformation, is popular. Among other things, he has been praised for his role in Ukraine’s successful drone initiatives and for persuading Elon Musk to shut down Starlink terminals used by the Russian military.
But the young Defense Minister, with his new ideas on warfare, got into a power struggle with the old-school Ukrainian military commanders.
– It seems to be a clash between different generations and cultures. Fedorov does not have the same military background as the officers who lead the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Conflicts under the surface
Zelenskyj is said to have said in a meeting that in a warring country, one cannot “allow the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff to wage war with each other”. The current Minister of the Interior, Ihor Klymenko, is proposed by Zelenskyj 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, Zelenskyj 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 you have the upper hand and can strike against Russian targets such as the oil and gas industry, there is a tendency for old conflicts to come to the surface.
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