But speculation grew that ‌Fedorov was forced out because of efforts to ⁠tackle alleged corruption in the defence sector. ‌He picked Yevhenii Khmara, the acting head of the state security service, to serve as acting defence minister. The position of defence minister, by law, is a civilian office in Ukraine. "The way out (for Zelenskiy) probably cannot be limited to another personnel decision, and Fedorov's reappointment now appears unlikely. Protest organiser Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a military veteran, said Zelenskiy should ​give Fedorov a year to pursue reforms in the defence sector and ​then judge him on the results.