Ukraine has replaced its top military and political defence personnel in the past week, including Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, ousted on July 15, and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskii, replaced six days later. These changes came even as Ukraine’s armed forces achieved their best performance in three years.

Ukraine appears to have found a winning formula in 2026, making it Russia’s worst year of the war in terms of manpower losses, territorial control, and economic impact. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, some 193,500 Russian troops have been killed or seriously wounded so far this year, averaging 32,000 losses per month for the first time. Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service reports that Moscow is struggling to meet recruitment targets.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, estimates Russia’s net territorial gain at just 81.1 square kilometers this year, with the trend increasingly favoring Ukraine. July has been particularly challenging for Russian forces, suffering net losses of 1.6 square kilometers per day, worse than June’s 30 square kilometers net gain.

During his six months in office, Fedorov aggressively expanded drone acquisitions, purchasing more in four months than the entire 2025 Defence Ministry total, even using soldiers’ payroll funds to increase orders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on July 20 that he is "continuing to determine what adjustments should be made to Ukraine’s defence strategy and what priorities in production and supply to the military must be implemented as quickly as possible."

Since June 6, Ukraine’s SBS Commander Robert Brovdi reported disabling 196 Russian fuel tankers and destroying three-quarters of Russia’s ferry capacity across the Kerch Strait, the closest crossing from Russia’s Krasnodar Krai to Crimea.

This leadership overhaul coincides with a period of intensified Ukrainian military effectiveness and strategic gains.

Sources