Zelenskyy Blames Dismissed Fedorov for $27 Billion Defense Gap as Patriot Supplies Fall
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 23
Zelenskyy Blames Dismissed Fedorov for $27 Billion Defense Gap as Patriot Supplies Fall
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 23
Summary
Zelenskyy said dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov was drawn into “misguided” actions, including backing protests and calling for elections, and rejected four offers to stay in government.
He said bad information from the Defense Ministry led him to tell Donald Trump that Elon Musk had approved Starlink use over Russian territory, only for Trump later to say Musk had refused and accused Zelenskyy of misleading him.
Ukraine also faces a $27 billion defense budget shortfall, while Patriot interceptor deliveries have dropped from 675 in 2023 to an expected 264 in 2026 even as Russian ballistic attacks intensify.
On the battlefield, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has retaken all but about 10 square kilometers of Dnipropetrovsk region and has recovered roughly 820 square kilometers this year versus Russia’s 990.
The remarks, released from a two-hour meeting with reporters, came after weeks of protests over Fedorov’s firing and his recent public attacks over corruption and wartime elections.