Ukraine appoints new defence minister after protests over Fedorov's dismissal
According to Foreign Affairs, Ukraine's parliament confirmed former special-operations officer Yevhenii Khmara as defence minister on 18 August, after weeks of public protests over the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov, whose drone-centred reforms had reshaped the war effort. Fedorov, dismissed earlier in the year, repeatedly urged that wartime elections be held despite martial law, arguing that democratic mechanisms were essential even amid conflict. He also said a recent money-laundering probe raised questions about President Volodymyr Zelensky’s knowledge of possible corruption, the BBC reported.
The organizer of Kyiv protests later said the electoral demand was no longer pursued, the Guardian noted. President Zelensky warned that Russia could mobilise an additional 300,000 troops later in the year, CNN reported, and argued that holding elections during the war could split the country, the Guardian added.
