NATO chief responds to Ukraine's defense minister replacement
Photo: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (Getty Images)
Rutte said he expects "continuity" in Ukraine's defense policy. According to him, Ukraine's resistance on the front line is now more effective than it was at the beginning of the year. Russian forces are advancing very slowly, while Ukraine has managed to launch counterattacks in some areas.
"I had a good working relationship with Mykhailo Fedorov," the NATO chief said. He wished Fedorov success and added that his successor would undoubtedly continue the current course.
Russia's battlefield losses
According to Rutte, Russia is losing between 25,000 and 35,000 soldiers every month.
"If you are a young Russian man contemplating to join the war effort, you might be one of those approximately 30,000 this month or next month," the NATO Secretary General said.
He described the casualty figures as "terrible news for the families involved, for the people involved."
He also noted that Ukraine is "striking deep into Russia," targeting the country's energy infrastructure and industrial base.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had decided to dismiss Mykhailo Fedorov as Defense Minister, citing two reasons: a conflict with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and procurement decisions by the Defense Ministry that allegedly went against the wishes of the military.
The President's decision sparked a wave of public outrage. On July 16, peaceful rallies in support of Fedorov were held in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, drawing not only veterans and civil society activists but also well-known figures from Ukraine's entertainment industry.
Zelenskyy has since appointed Major General Yevhen Khmara, the acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), as acting defense minister.
