Ousted Ukraine Defense Minister Fedorov Joins Italy as Adviser

Mykhailo Fedorov, the former Ukrainian defense minister whose dismissal in July sparked nationwide protests, has accepted a position as an adviser on defense innovation to his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto. The announcement was made by Fedorov on August 28, 2026, following a meeting in Rome. Fedorov, a 35-year-old tech specialist, served as Ukraine's defense minister from January 14 until his ouster on July 15 as part of a broader cabinet reshuffle by President Volodymyr Zelensky. His removal triggered rare wartime protests across Ukraine, with thousands of demonstrators, many of them young, calling for his reinstatement and the firing of Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrsky.