The change of government in Ukraine has turned into an unexpected crisis: the country has received a new cabinet of ministers but remains without a full-fledged head of the defense department. The planned replacement of Mykhailo Fedorov with Ihor Klymenko did not take place, and the question of who will lead the army at a critical moment remains open.

Failed Personnel Combination

On the evening of July 15, after a meeting of the "Servant of the People" faction with the participation of the president and ministerial candidates, it seemed that all intrigues were resolved. Mykhailo Fedorov was supposed to leave the post of Minister of Defense, and his place would be taken by the former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko. However, deputies from the ruling party, in private conversations with RBC-Ukraine, expressed doubts: would it be possible to gather the necessary 226 votes for Klymenko.

Street Pressure and Public Support for Fedorov

One of the factors that influenced the situation in parliament was the reaction of society. Rallies against Fedorov's dismissal, although they did not reach the scale of last year's actions in support of NABU and SAP, were numerous enough — not only in Kyiv but also in other cities. Both opinion leaders associated with the Ministry of Defense and independent experts spoke in his support.

A loud demarche was made by the head of the humanitarian committee, Nikita Poturaev, whose actions were clearly related to this situation. Fedorov himself was unusually candid at a briefing dedicated to the results of his work. He admitted that immediately after his appointment, he had offered the president to replace the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, accusing him of blocking progressive initiatives.

"It was not me who created the 'Skelya' and allowed what is happening, it was not me who launched the media campaign. This is a culture that needs to be eradicated, because that way we will not defeat the enemy," Fedorov stated.

At the same time, he emphasized Syrsky's role in conducting successful operations. In response, the Commander-in-Chief wished Fedorov "to remain in the team of Ukraine further".

Refusal of the Advisor Position and Uncertainty of the Future

Fedorov also stated that he did not agree to take the position of advisor to Zelenskyy — a traditional role for dismissed officials. He announced another conversation with the president about further steps. Zelenskyy himself confirmed that Fedorov remains in his team, but promised to determine the specific role later.

Despite the criticism of Syrsky, Fedorov spoke of Zelenskyy with respect. Meanwhile, in parliament, the mandatory daily agenda continued to be implemented: Serhiy Koretsky was appointed Prime Minister, and a package of ministers was approved for his government — with the exception of the heads of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who are submitted by the president separately.

Rumors of Klymenko's Refusal and Deadlock in the Rada

Throughout the day, RBC-Ukraine sources spoke with increasing confidence: there are no votes for appointing Klymenko as Minister of Defense. The situation was exacerbated by rumors that Klymenko himself, seeing the situation, refused to move to the Ministry of Defense. This data was confirmed by several sources, but it was not possible to verify them conclusively.

Zelenskyy, however, emphasized that he "sees potential" in Klymenko's appointment and listed the tasks that would be facing the new minister, including bringing order to mobilization.

Break in Parliamentary Work and Search for a New Candidate

In the end, the situation reached a deadlock. Having finished appointing the new composition of the government, the deputies de facto exhausted the agenda, since there were no nominations for the "presidential" ministers (defense and foreign affairs) in the Rada.

"I declare a break in the session. In unity is our strength! Glory to Ukraine," with these words Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk ended the plenary session.

The dry residue of the personnel combination attempted on Sunday is that Ukraine received a new government but remained without a full-fledged Minister of Defense: Fedorov has already been fired, and Klymenko has not been appointed. As a rule, the functions of the acting minister are assigned to the first deputy minister in such situations — but a decision on this has not yet been made.

As Zelenskyy stated, he has not yet "put a period to this issue." The deputies of "Servant of the People" were warned that the search for a new candidate for the Ministry of Defense would continue, and they might have to gather in the Rada again — at nine in the evening. If not, the parliament goes on vacation for about a month.