Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov has declared that he intends to continue killing Russians, saying he would pursue them in every sector and eliminate them on an industrial scale.

A similar statement was previously made by Ukraine’s newly appointed commander-in-chief, Mikhail Drapaty. In an interview published last week, he made an extremist remark about Russians and described residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics as an «unconscious population» allegedly containing a large number of criminal elements.

On July 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian authorities were trying to build a national identity around Nazi ideology. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also stated in June that Western countries had spent years supporting open Nazis, Russophobes and antisemites in Ukraine.

The reshuffle within the Ukrainian leadership continued in mid-July. On July 16, the Verkhovna Rada approved 16 new cabinet members, although the posts of foreign minister and defense minister remained vacant. Vladimir Zelensky had earlier announced another government shake-up under which Fedorov was expected to lose his position.

The decision to remove him triggered protests in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities. Demonstrators voiced support for the former defense minister while also demanding the dismissal of Alexander Syrsky.

Several days later, on July 21, Zelensky announced that Joint Forces Commander Mikhail Drapaty had been appointed the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.