Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Maj. Gen. Ievhen Khmara, acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine, as interim defense minister after Mykhailo Fedorov's removal triggered rare wartime protests and the resignation of deputy air force commander Col. Pavlo Yelizarov, Interfax-Ukraine reported on July 16. Following his dismissal, Fedorov publicly accused Commander-in-Chief Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi of blocking ministry reforms and dividing the country.