MOSCOW, July 26. /TASS/. The special services of the United States and Great Britain are behind the resignation of Ukrainian commander-in-chief Alexander Syrsky and attempts to reinstate Mikhail Fyodorov as defense minister, former Ukrainian Prime Minister (2010-2014) Nikolay Azarov told TASS.

"One should not think that it was ‘the cardboard Maidan’ that pushed [Vladimir] Zelensky to do something. He was inspired to make such decisions primarily by his curators. I think there is a joint leadership. I don't think that [US President Donald] Trump personally sits and thinks about what kind of Drapaty (new Ukrainian commander-in-chief Mikhail Drapaty, who replaced Syrsky - TASS) is to be appointed or not. There are people there who do the thinking, while the general attitude comes from Trump. The special services implement these decisions. They work in a very coordinated manner, both the British and the Americans. Who else should they involve? It is clear that they are mostly Americans and British," he said.

On July 14, Zelensky fired Fyodorov explaining the move by a conflict between Fyodorov and Syrsky. Ukrainian politicians and the media linked the minister's resignation to two more circumstances. First, Fyodorov is supported by liberal Western circles who want to control the military situation, which is unacceptable for Zelensky. The second factor is personal competition: Fyodorov has recently gained significant political weight and a high rating, while Zelensky does not tolerate rivals.

On July 16, mass rallies began in Ukraine demanding the reappointment of Fyodorov and the dismissal of Syrsky. Zelensky agreed to the latter on July 22, and Drapaty became the new commander-in-chief. However, the participants of the "cardboard Maidan" are still demanding that Fyodorov be reinstated.