If Ukraine is winning the war, why did Zelenskyy fire his defence minister?

If Ukraine is winning the war, why did Zelenskyy fire his defence minister?

Author: Chatham House July 31, 2026 Duration: 34:56

Ukraine's drone strikes deep into Russian territory coincided with one of Kyiv's biggest political and military convulsions of the war: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov only for his decision to spark protests across the country. Why did Zelenskyy do it? Has the power struggle damaged his authority? Is Ukraine really regaining the initiative in the war? And what will it take to force Russia to the negotiating table?

John Lough examines the potential turning point in the war with Vadym Prystaiko, former Ukrainian ambassador to the UK; Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at Kings College London; and Jaroslava Barbieri of Chatham House's Ukraine Forum.

Produced by Podmasters for Chatham House, with thanks to Sara Seth and Stephen Farrell.

Explore Chatham House's latest:

Comment | Ukraine's allies should make an offer to Russians before September's 'elections'

Comment | Will Ukraine's Wildberries attacks force Putin to the negotiating table?

Comment | Ukraine needs help against Russian missiles now. What more can allies do?

Magazine issue | The World Today summer issue

Audio | The Climate Briefing🎧

Audio | Africa Aware🎧

Follow Independent Thinking on your favourite podcast apps.


Hosted by Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox, Independent Thinking brings the institute’s private deliberations into the public ear. This isn’t a rehearsed lecture series, but a direct channel into candid, high-level discussions typically held behind closed doors. Maddox guides conversations with a carefully selected mix of leading policymakers, frontline journalists, and Chatham House’s own deep bench of experts, focusing on the international political issues that are shaping headlines and rewriting global strategies. The tone is analytical yet accessible, privileging substance and nuance over soundbites. Each episode feels like a privileged seat at a crucial roundtable, where complex topics-from shifting alliances and economic sanctions to climate diplomacy and conflict-are unpacked with clarity and intellectual rigor. Listeners gain a clearer understanding of the forces driving world events, hearing diverse perspectives clash and converge in real time. For anyone looking to move beyond the superficial news cycle and engage with the substantive arguments defining our geopolitics, this podcast offers an essential and thoughtful resource. It’s where informed opinion meets the pressing questions of our moment, fostering a deeper kind of political literacy.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Independent Thinking
Podcast Episodes
Europe scrambles to avoid being sidelined on Ukraine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:09
How are Europe and Ukraine reacting after the US and Russia sought to strike their own deal, and Putin warned that Moscow – while not planning for war with Europe – is 'ready right now'. Host Bronwen Maddox is joined by…
Britain's budget – a recipe for growth or decline? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:21
Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves published her – widely leaked – budget this week. How does it leave her ruling Labour Party positioned in Britain? And what do the calculations look like from overseas,…
Sudan – the internal and external forces tearing it apart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:35
After the North Darfur capital El Fasher fell to the Rapid Support Forces, aid agencies and survivors talk of civilians being massacred in the streets. The international affairs podcast of Chatham House examines the huma…
What does Ukraine need to get through the winter? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:40
Nearly four years after Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian officials and analysts look at the prospects for a ceasefire, and at the military, economic and human cost that President Vladimir Putin's campaign has infl…
Mamdani won in New York. For Trump, was it a setback or backlash? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:55
Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York's mayoral race this week – and other electoral successes – energized Democrats in the US and left-wing parties worldwide. The new standard-bearer of the American left is hailed by pro…
Europe after the Dutch elections. Goodbye far right? Not so fast. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:03
Far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilders suffered a setback on Wednesday's elections, with centrists poised to take back power. Rob Jetten, 38, leader of the centre-progressive Democrats 66 party, is set to become the Nether…
AI Plus. Generals purged. China's leaders plan for 2030 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:38
China's ruling Communist Party leadership met in Beijing to frame the next five-year-plan. Amid a trade war with the United States, they set priorities for economic policy and technology, including how to build artificia…
Trump, Gaza and shutdown [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:41
At home the US is mired in domestic dysfunction with a government shutdown now in its second week. But abroad, President Trump has brokered a deal that - although it didn't win a Nobel Peace Prize - could end the two-yea…