A Russian disinformation campaign failed to generate widespread public opposition to the dismissal of former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, according to a media analysis conducted by Ukrainian AI-based monitoring platform PoshukAI.
The study examined 6,947 publications from 1,340 media outlets and online sources over a nine-day period, identifying 18 separate narratives surrounding Fedorov’s removal from office. The study’s methodology and classifications have not been independently verified.
Anti-Fedorov Narratives Failed to Gain Momentum
According to the analysis, the dominant narrative in the early stages of the campaign alleged that Fedorov was responsible for alleged abuses committed by Ukraine’s Territorial Recruitment Centers (TCK).
That claim accounted for 58.2% of monitored discussions on July 9 but declined sharply to just 2.5% by July 13.
PoshukAI concluded that the narrative failed to gain lasting traction, with public attention instead shifting to reported tensions between Fedorov and Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Russian-Language Media Led Negative Coverage
Fedorov, 35, who previously served as Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, led the Defense Ministry for six months. During his tenure, he was credited with advancing military technology, expanding the use of drones, and pursuing reforms of the country’s defense procurement system.
President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that Fedorov and General Syrskyi had been unable to establish effective cooperation.
The study found that another frequently promoted narrative portrayed Fedorov as an inexperienced public relations figure lacking military expertise, while separate reports accused him of corruption.
According to PoshukAI, Russian-language sources produced 57% of the content portraying Fedorov as unqualified, while 47% of publications alleging corruption originated from Russian-language media and organizations described in the report as tabloid-style outlets.
The most explicit pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claimed that Fedorov was “a Western project” and that protests supporting him had been orchestrated. The study said 94% of content promoting that claim originated from Russian sources, including Life.ru, Vesti.ru, and Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Public Protests Shifted the Debate
Despite the online disinformation campaign, Fedorov’s dismissal prompted rare public demonstrations during wartime.
More than 1,000 people gathered outside the Presidential Office in Kyiv on July 16, while additional protests took place in other Ukrainian cities. Demonstrators called for Fedorov’s reinstatement and demanded the dismissal of General Syrskyi.
According to the analysis, the protests significantly altered online discourse. Public support for keeping Fedorov in office increased from 14% to 27.6%, while the share of discussions attributing responsibility for the crisis to Syrskyi rose from 2.4% to 18.2%.
Overall, the study classified 48.4% of analyzed publications as supportive of Fedorov, 13.9% as critical, and 37.6% as neutral.
PoshukAI concluded that while Kremlin-linked media succeeded in introducing negative narratives into the public debate, they failed to make them dominant. Instead, public reaction transformed Fedorov’s dismissal from an internal government reshuffle into a broader discussion about Ukraine’s military leadership, defense reforms, and accountability for challenges surrounding mobilization.
