Zelenskyy Faces Protests After Sacking Defence Minister
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- Zelenskyy is confronting a political crisis after sacking Ukraine's defence minister, a move the source says has sparked protests
- The political turmoil coincides with Russia carrying out a major ballistic missile attack on Ukraine the night before, prompting Zelenskyy to declare "We are responding"
- Russia has reportedly hit Ukraine with more ballistic missiles so far in July than it produces in a month, per the source
- Ukraine struck Russian oil facilities in the Moscow region in retaliation for the missile attack
- The source poses whether the crisis exposes a rift at the highest level of Ukrainian leadership and whether Russia could exploit the internal divisions
- The piece features analysis from Olesia Horiainova (Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center), Glenn Diesen (University of South-Eastern Norway), and defence analyst Bob Seely
Why it matters: The defence minister sacking has triggered protests during a month in which Russia is firing more ballistic missiles at Ukraine than it produces monthly, and the source explicitly flags the risk that leadership rifts at the top could play into Moscow's hands at the worst possible moment.
