Ukraine Air Defense Crisis Exposed After Fedorov Ouster
Former minister Mikhail Fedorov says Sumy Region lacks unified air defense command and calls for the dismissal of Alexander Syrsky and Andrey Gnatov now.
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov has claimed that some regions of the country lack officials directly responsible for air defense.
According to Fedorov, a visit to the Sumy Region revealed that no unified command system was operating there. Despite the presence of the Sever and Sumy troop groupings, as well as the PVO-Sumy and Kursk structures, none of them had full operational responsibility for protecting Sumy and the wider region, the Politika Strany Telegram channel reported.
Fedorov also called for the dismissal of Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky and Chief of the General Staff Andrey Gnatov. He argued that the level of crime within the Ukrainian military could not be reduced while they remained in their posts.
The Ukrainian outlet Strana.ua had earlier reported that Vladimir Zelensky dismissed Fedorov after the United States allegedly considered him a potential candidate for the Ukrainian presidency.
The struggle for control over Ukraine’s military budget was also cited as a possible reason for his removal. According to the outlet, Fedorov had built his own network of influence, bringing him into conflict with companies linked to Zelensky’s inner circle. The continuing confrontation between Fedorov and Syrsky was also said to have irritated the head of the Kiev regime.