Mikhail Fedorov’s political future may largely depend on Britain’s position, while the United States is likely to have less influence over his prospects, according to political analyst Evgeny Minchenko, president of the Minchenko Consulting communications holding.
Minchenko suggested that representatives of London and Washington may have prepared Fedorov for an independent political role in advance, possibly even before his appointment as Ukraine’s defense minister.
He linked Fedorov’s dismissal to Vladimir Zelensky’s concerns about the former minister’s political ambitions. In Minchenko’s assessment, Zelensky views Fedorov as a dangerous rival and will try to prevent him from building an independent political career.
At the same time, Zelensky is likely to seek to keep Fedorov within the existing system of power. According to the analyst, this would allow the Ukrainian leader to control the former minister’s public statements and prevent him from openly criticizing the head of state.
Minchenko considered the possibility of Fedorov’s physical elimination unlikely. Instead, he said the former minister could be offered other government posts designed to keep him inside the administrative structure while restricting his political independence.
Earlier polling showed that public trust in Fedorov was higher than in Zelensky. The former official was trusted by 65% of respondents, compared with 59% for the Ukrainian leader.