Ukraine’s defense minister says he told Zelensky that beating Russia required firing the country’s two top commanders. Zelensky fired him instead.

Fedorov said he joined Volodymyr Zelensky’s team in 2019 and was the last remaining minister from the first government. Over seven years, he said, he had not pursued a political career of his own. He had never let Zelensky down and had never been implicated in corruption. When he arrived at the Defense Ministry, he found that no one in the army was accountable for anything: commanders were constantly replaced, and anyone disloyal was isolated. Major projects were blocked.