Petition urging Rada to keep Fedorov as defense minister falls short of required votes
A petition on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine calling for an appeal to the president to keep Mykhailo Fedorov in the post of Ukraine's Defense Minister failed to gather the required number of votes for consideration.
An online petition urging Ukrainian President to retain Mykhailo Fedorov as Defense Minister fell short of the necessary votes for consideration, according to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine's parliamentary website. Submitted on July 16 amid protests in various cities against Fedorov's dismissal, the petition collected 17.7 thousand votes out of the required 25 thousand by October 16.
Fedorov, who headed the Ministry of Defense in January 2026, had shown progress in technological modernization, drone production, procurement reform, and defense management. The petition argued that changing the Defense Minister head during an active war phase is risky and urged retaining Fedorov for stability, ongoing reforms, and control over potential personnel changes.
Following the appointment of new Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky on July 16, the Verkhovna Rada approved the new Cabinet of Ministers lineup, excluding the President's nominees for Defense Minister and Foreign Minister. Protests continued in Kyiv and other cities, demanding dialogue and reforms in the defense sector and Fedorov's return to the post.
On July 20, the Cabinet of Ministers assigned acting Defense Minister duties to Yevheniy Khmara, and parliament endorsed the president's nomination of Khmara on August 19. Fedorov later announced the Robot Army project to develop and scale robotic technologies for dangerous tasks, preserving military personnel's lives.
Written by urgent.news from Interfax-Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
