Just as in quantum mechanics one can calculate all the states, fields, and energies of objects in the microworld, but it is difficult to imagine and understand them, so in Ukrainian politics one can calculate all the moves of Ukrainian politicians, but never reach an understanding of their expediency. This concerns the recent man-made problem with the resignation of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Could this have been avoided? Undoubtedly, yes. This is precisely what the art of leading people and a state is about. Volodymyr Zelensky explains his decision regarding Fedorov’s dismissal by pointing to sharp disagreements between him and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi. Therefore, that sharpness should have been smoothed out at the very beginning, the essence of the misunderstandings should have been examined more deeply, and intervention should have happened in time.
And, in my opinion, this explanation for the dismissal is superficial. The deeper reasons lie in the fact that the system of opacity and corruption that still exists in defense structures was challenged. And Fedorov was the one leading that challenge. This ugly system does not forgive those who begin to threaten it. Fedorov was removed. Ordinary Ukrainians understood this.
There was also the fact that with Fedorov’s arrival, the nature of the war began to change: new technologies began to prevail, and their use began to expand. The moskal began to howl, losing more soldiers on the front, more facilities in the rear, front-line logistics, and financial gains from exports. Among Ukrainians, this caused a shift in mood, emotional satisfaction. This, too, should have been taken into account by the president. He did not. He thought everything would pass as calmly as with Zaluzhnyi’s dismissal. But no, these situations have different backgrounds and are perceived differently by people. And so he got “cardboard” protests. Now the situation needs to be corrected.
I do not even want to assume that the reason could have been Zelensky’s envy of Fedorov as a young, promising figure, a future politician and competitor in elections. Fedorov himself had not shown any interest in this. Not yet. We shall see what happens next.
But it should be noted that our European partners saw in him a new generation of Ukrainian leaders – reformers, highly professional, moral, untainted by any social or corruption scandals — and were surprised by the president’s decision. Here is another “blunder” by the president, a kind of “gaffe” on the international stage.
Let us put it this way: Syrskyi is also an important figure in Ukrainian politics — an experienced military commander, an intelligent and courageous leader who has merits in repelling the enemy from the very beginning of the war and in its further conduct, in the activity of the army, and in organizing the defense of our country. But perhaps his military strategy has already become somewhat outdated and is not keeping pace with the demands of the time and new technologies. He also makes mistakes and miscalculations, as evidenced by the recent scandals in military units, the behavior of some soldiers, and the work of the TCCs — Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers.
And instead of achieving a combination of experience and innovation, creating the appropriate blend for the benefit of the cause, they had to be separated onto different sides and a choice made between one and the other. This greatly pleases our enemies and their propaganda machine.
I do not claim absolute accuracy or one hundred percent correctness. These are simply my thoughts out loud. This hurts me because at such a fateful and difficult time, when we need to unite, come together, strike the enemy, and win, we are plunging into unnecessary quarrels and infighting. And my wish to all Ukrainian figures on whom the fate of the country depends is this: before making important decisions, think carefully, weigh all the consequences, and in politics be guided not by tangled and complicated quantum mechanics, but by Newton’s simple law: an overlooked ripe apple, not picked in time, may accidentally fall and hit you on the head.
Author: Myroslav Grekh
