EditThe Fedorov controversy: “The matter is not in the surnames. People have a demand for justice”
Captain Roman Sinitsyn on the protests, Mykhaylo Fedorov’s work, and Defence Forces strikes on the temporarily occupied territories
Roman Sinitsyn (callsign “Balan”), a captain in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is a former head of the military direction at Serhiy Prytula’s charitable foundation. After mobilization in 2023 he commanded a reconnaissance-and-strike UAV unit. In 2026 Mykhailo Fedorov’s team invited him into the Ministry of Defence to help reform the state quality-assurance system for defence procurement. He was formally transferred on 2 July 2026 and continues to work in the team of Deputy Minister Myroslav Banyk.
In a long interview with Suspilne recorded at the end of July 2026, Sinitsyn discussed what Fedorov’s team managed to achieve in roughly six months, the circumstances of the minister’s departure, the subsequent “cardboard protests,” and the broader challenges facing Ukraine’s defence effort.
Procurement reform and quality control
Sinitsyn explained that the quality-assurance body is a Soviet-era military structure of around a thousand people that still operates under the old “military acceptance” model. Fedorov’s team intended to audit its processes thoroughly and transform it into a civilian agency (while retaining military posts), raise salaries, bring in market specialists for high-tech items such as drones and electronic-warfare systems, and clear up overlapping responsibilities that had become especially messy after the scandal with defective 120 mm mines.
At the same time the ministry opened competitive tenders, began building a Register of Arms Manufacturers, and reviewed dozens of legacy contracts. Consultations with combat units showed that large volumes of short-range artillery shells, outdated grenade-launcher ammunition and similar items were no longer needed on a battlefield where engagement distances had stretched to 10–15 km. Roughly 25 billion hryvnias of such contracts were put under review and resources redirected toward drones, electronic warfare and light logistics vehicles. One concrete result was the first large-scale state contract for 5,000 pickup trucks for frontline units. Tenders for “Starlink lots” of strike drones were also launched, giving operators real-time control deep into the temporarily occupied territories, including Crimea.
Sinitsyn stressed that the defence budget exceeds one trillion hryvnias (19.5 billion euro). Greater transparency and competition were intended to reduce the obvious opportunities for improper gain that have repeatedly surfaced in investigations and criminal cases.
Fedorov’s contribution and the ousting
Sinitsyn said he expected Fedorov to be reappointed when the new government under Serhiy Koretskyi was formed on 16 July 2026. In his view the team had produced the first coherent public strategy for victory built around asymmetric long-range strikes aimed at exhausting Russian logistics and the Russian economy. Capacity for deep strikes had grown dramatically: individual crews that once launched a handful of long-range drones per month were now launching hundreds.
He believes a complex of factors led to the change. Progress on opening the procurement market, reviewing old contracts and challenging entrenched interests almost certainly played a role. There were also reported tensions over mobilization reform and personnel decisions (including the use of polygraphs and the dismissal of certain officials). Frequent high-level turnover itself became a problem: new teams repeatedly had to start from scratch, which is costly in wartime.
The protests
Sinitsyn repeatedly returned to the same point: “The matter is not in the surnames. People have a demand for justice.” The cardboard protests that began after Fedorov’s departure were, in his reading, an organic expression of public frustration at the lack of clear communication about the country’s direction and the path to victory. After Fedorov’s own post-dismissal briefing, thousands came out in multiple cities. Sinitsyn does not believe any politician could have manufactured that level of spontaneous turnout. The protests reflected unmet expectations for reform and a desire for transparency about strategy, mobilization and leadership changes.
Thousands join Kyiv march demanding Fedorov’s return and defence reforms
New leadership and the front
Sinitsyn spoke cautiously but positively about the new Commander-in-Chief, Mykhailo Drapatyi, noting his operational experience across several directions and his relative youth. The immediate practical challenge remains holding the line while Russia prepares further mobilisation. Chronic problems of personnel shortages, incomplete units, and the long-standing difficulties of mobilisation dating back to 2023–2024 still require a systemic solution and a renewed social contract with society.
Strikes on the temporarily occupied territories
Drawing on his own experience commanding a UAV unit in the Zaporizhzhia direction, Sinitsyn described systematic work against high-value targets: radars, drone-operator positions, ammunition and fuel depots, and logistics nodes 30 km or more behind the line. The goal was to disrupt routes through Berdiansk, Melitopol and further toward Dzhankoi. These efforts contributed to pressure on Russian fuel supplies. Enemy adaptation is constant – alternative roads, mobile interception groups – but sustained mid- and long-range drone supply allows the pressure to continue. He emphasized that such results are collective (involving the Armed Forces, SBU, HUR and others), yet Fedorov’s ministry played a key role in prioritizing the necessary means and funding.
Sinitsyn continues his work in the ministry pending decisions by the new leadership. His central message remains that Ukraine’s society is not primarily arguing over individual names; it is demanding clarity, justice and a credible path to victory.
A longer version in Ukrainian of this interview by EUalive’s partner Suspilne can be found here.
Caption: Roman Sinitsyn during an interview. [Social News/Dmytro Suslov]
Updated: August 3, 2026 - 16:29
