Trust in Mykhailo Fedorov has surged since President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed him as defence minister on July 15 as part of a surprise government reshuffle, with a new Rating Group poll putting him second only to former commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny among Ukraine's most trusted public figures — ahead of Zelenskiy himself.

Trust rankings upended

The poll, reported on July 22, found Zaluzhny trusted by 70% of respondents (20% distrust him), followed by Fedorov on 65% (11% distrust), General Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the general staff, on 62% (23% distrust), and Zelenskiy in fourth place on 59% (39% distrust). Boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk placed fifth on 54%. General Oleksandr Syrskyi, removed as commander-in-chief this month, scored just 23% (59% distrust), while former president Petro Poroshenko trailed on 21% (75% distrust). The survey was completed before Syrskyi's resignation was reported, so it captures a snapshot mid-crisis rather than its resolution.

The Fedorov effect

Trust in Fedorov jumped from 35% to 65% in a single week, according to the Rating Group polling, overtaking the president. Separately, 72% of Ukrainians said they did not support Fedorov's dismissal, against 5% who backed it; 17% said they did not care and 6% could not say.

Zelenskiy sacked Fedorov on July 15, citing a conflict between the defence ministry and the general staff — part of a wider government reshuffle that bne IntelliNews described at the time as Ukraine's Battle of Britain moment. Public backlash was swift, feeding a wave of protests that also targeted Syrskyi's leadership. Separate polling found 55% of Ukrainians supported Syrskyi's removal (15% opposed, 19% indifferent); he was in fact dismissed shortly after the poll was taken and replaced by General Mykhailo Drapatyi, whom bne IntelliNews profiled as Ukraine's new, young military chief.

Protests to continue, Zelenskiy offers Fedorov a new post

The reshuffle followed — and was substantially driven by — street protests in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. One of the organisers said the protests would continue despite Syrskyi's removal, because their second core demand, reinstating Fedorov as defence minister, remains unmet. “We shouldn't forget about the second demand of the protest — to reinstate Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister,” the organiser wrote, arguing that the ministry-general staff conflict Zelenskiy cited as his reason for sacking Fedorov “has also disappeared” now that Syrskyi is gone. Organisers called for an “indefinite protest” beginning Friday, July 24, at Kyiv's Ivan Franko Square and in other cities' central squares.

Zelenskiy has since confirmed he approached Fedorov with an offer to become deputy prime minister for military innovations, The Guardian reported on July 23 — an apparent attempt to defuse the pressure without fully reversing the original decision. Whether that satisfies protesters demanding his return specifically to the defence ministry remains to be seen.