Ukraine’s Defense Minister Fedorov resigned after clashing with Gen. Syrsky over strategy. Meanwhile, Ukraine hit Russia hard: sank the FSB ship Izumrud near Novorossiysk, damaged tankers south of Kerch, hit oil refineries, Wildberries warehouses, and 172+ “shadow fleet” vessels since Operation MoLochKa began. Ground fighting continues around Hulyaipole, Kostiantynivka, and Kherson, where forced evacuations hint at a possible southern offensive. France pledged major military aid, including fighter jets and joint arms manufacturing with Ukraine.
The big Kyiv political typhoon-in-a-teakettle news last week was the departure of Ukraine’s cool, Gen-Z Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, according to him, because he told President Volodymyr Zelensky to pick between him and General Oleksandr Syrsky and Zelensky picked that old stick-in-the-mud Boomer Syrsky.
There has been much handwringing and pearls-clutching over this by the smartphone class. There were pro-Fedorov protests in several big Ukrainian cities.
