Zelensky (left) may be forced to fire Syrsky (right)

A preventable crisis.

If Ukraine was really ‘turning the tide’ of the war, like the MSM insists a hundred times a day, do you think Kiev regime leader Volodymyr Zelensky would dismiss his Defense Minister and the Commander-in-Chief?

In what many see as an unforced error, Zelensky was incapable of making his minister and his top general collaborate, so he fired one, and now growing protests may force him to fire the other.

Today (19), reports arise that Zelensky is considering firing ‘the Butcher’ Oleksandr Syrsky, as he tries to quell ‘the biggest military leadership crisis of his presidency’.

🇺🇦 FT: Zelensky is considering replacing Syrsky as criticism of his leadership continues to grow.

Zelensky is said to be meeting senior military commanders to assess the battlefield situation and evaluate potential successors.

While no decision has been made, he is reportedly… pic.twitter.com/PbK0B7UjJM

— MAKS 26 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) July 18, 2026

Financial Times reported:

“Syrsky’s leadership of the armed forces has become a lightning rod for protests that have grown since Zelensky fired the civilian defense minister [Mykhailo Fedorov] after a deepening rift between the two leaders became untenable.

According to a senior administration official, Zelensky is gathering military commanders this weekend to hear their assessments of the battlefield situation and to interview candidates to take command of the army.”

Watch: Kiev overrun by protesting crowds.

Pendant que le front s’effondre, un véritable incendie intérieur se déclare dans les coulisses du pouvoir chez Zelensky. La vidéo montre le centre de Kiev, envahi par une foule en colère. Les protestations contre le général Sýrsky, accusé de gaspillage, et en faveur du ministre… pic.twitter.com/grMbxqd8vU

— Brainless Partisans 🏴‍☠️☢️☣️🪆 (@BPartisans) July 18, 2026

Zelensky considering dismissing Syrsky comes after protests over Fedorov’s dismissed turned into a campaign against the commander.

“Thousands of Ukrainians gathered outside the presidential administration building in what was one of the largest protests in years. They chanted, ‘Syrsky out!’

Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a military veteran who organised the demonstrations, wrote on X that the movement’s primary demand was Syrsky’s dismissal, followed by Fedorov’s reappointment.”

Ousted Defense Minister Fedorov says he urged Zelensky to fire Commander-in-Chief Syrsky

Zelensky ultimately backed Syrsky and showed Fedorov the door — making him the fifth defense minister to get the boot under this administrationhttps://t.co/WcgraWqkiA pic.twitter.com/6IIMTmurg9

— RT (@RT_com) July 16, 2026

Fedorov told reporters that Syrsky had blocked his efforts to reform the defense ministry, and accused the General of enabling corruption.

Kyiv Post reported:

“Syrsky issued a brief response thanking Fedorov for his work and urging unity, without directly addressing the allegations. Zelensky acknowledged the breakdown in their working relationship, stating that a president should not have to make such choices in wartime and noting that the two men had failed to find unity.

During his time in office, Fedorov became a prominent figure for advocating domestic drone production, a points-based system for battlefield strikes, and decentralized technological innovation to counter Russia’s manpower advantage.

His removal sparked an immediate backlash on social media, erupting into demonstrations in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, and other cities.”

Read more:

Second Day of Protests in Kiev After Zelensky Dismisses Defense Minister Fedorov – Demonstrators Demand Firing of Top General Syrsky (VIDEOS)