According to Reuters report on July 25th, Italian Defense Minister Crostolo said that he has invited Fedorov, who was recently removed from the position of Defense Minister of Ukraine, to serve as a consultant in Italy.
In an interview published in the Republic newspaper on Saturday, Croceto said, "The day after he was fired, I called him and asked, 'When do you want to come to Rome to work with me as my advisor?'"
When talking about Fedorov's reaction, Crosetto said that he was "very touched," and considered this invitation as "a demonstration of respect and friendship."
Croseto praised Fedorov as a promoter of military innovation, calling him "one of the people who have completely rewritten the rules of the battlefield." He also said that Fedorov first helped Ukraine resist Russian attacks, and then reshaped the way battles are fought through various new technologies, gradually gaining control over the battlefield.
The 35-year-old Fedorov is a technology reformer. Supporters believe that he has improved Ukraine’s drone capabilities and has driven several reforms in the defense sector.
This month, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy decided in the government reorganization not to nominate Fedorov for the position of Defense Minister. This decision sparked strong backlash in Ukrainian society, with rare wartime protests occurring in many places. Zelenskyy had offered Fedorov other government positions, but Fedorov stated that he would not accept any other appointments beyond his current one.
Regarding the reasons for his dismissal, Zelenskyy revealed at a meeting of the “People’s Servants” party that Fedorov had major problems with military procurement. He handled procurement tasks independently from the Ministry of Defense, especially in areas such as drones and artillery shells.
Fyodorov openly stated during the live broadcast that he was removed from his position because there were conflicts between him and the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Serhski.
According to Ukrainian media reports, there are irreconcilable conflicts between Fedorov and Serhski regarding military reforms. Most of the reform measures proposed by Fedorov have been rejected by the Ukrainian General Staff. Fedorov believes that Serhski is unwilling to acknowledge the problems within the military, and instead tries to deepen divisions.
This statement unexpectedly caused dissatisfaction and division among Ukrainians. Protesters accused Serhski of violent conscription, corruption, forming cliques, opposing drone reforms, and being indifferent to human life in military command. On the other hand, Serhski’s supporters counterclaimed that Fedorov’s conscription reforms were the root cause of the current violent conscription issues.
Interestingly, not long after, Sersky was also dismissed from his position. Zelenskyy posted on social media on the evening of the 21st, announcing that Mikhail Draipat would replace Sersky, and nominated the current acting Defense Minister, Yevgeny Herma, for the position of Defense Minister.
