MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky dodged a direct reply when asked about whether he is going to give Mikhail Fyodorov his job of Ukraine’s defense minister back in an interview with Sky News.

Zelensky reiterated that he viewed the conflict between the former defense chief and commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s army Alexander Syrsky who had been fired by the time the interview was recorded as the root of the problem. "I respect Syrsky and Fyodorov. <…> There are some things that we have to manage, and you can manage it if the ministry works with the army. <…> I need unanimity between these two institutions," Zelensky said.

On July 14, Fyodorov was removed from the post of the Ukrainian defense minister, partly due to infighting with Syrsky. On July 16, protest rallies against Fyodorov’s dismissal started in Ukrainian cities. The protesters gradually began to demand not only the return of Fyodorov, but also the dismissal of Syrsky. On the sixth day of the protests, Zelensky announced firing Syrsky, and later the appointment of Mikhail Drapaty as Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief.