{"text":[[{"start":6.15,"text":"Volodymyr Zelenskyy has earned a place in the history books for his courageous and indefatigable leadership against Russia’s brutal aggression. But his political management at home is sometimes baffling, hard to justify and counter-productive. This is one of those occasions. "}],[{"start":20.200000000000003,"text":"Zelenskyy has embarked on another cabinet reshuffle, the third since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. He says it is needed to breathe new life into the government as the war enters a new stage. Exactly why and what for is harder to discern. Zelenskyy, a former actor and TV producer, likes a revolving cast of characters in his administration. But they are very much secondary roles in the Zelenskyy show and the cast list is short. Loyalty and discretion are in many cases valued above effectiveness. Popularity and profile are detriments. "}],[{"start":54.150000000000006,"text":"Yulia Svyrydenko, who was dismissed as prime minister earlier this week, had been in the job for not quite a year. She was appointed as a competent but unassuming administrator. Now Zelenskyy has decided he needs someone with more heft. The new premier is set to be Sergii Koretskyi, the chief executive of state gas company Naftogaz. It is a reasonable choice: Koretskyi is deemed a capable manager who previously helped clean up the state oil company after it was seized from its oligarch owners. One of the most pressing tasks facing the government is shoring up Ukraine’s energy system and other vital infrastructure before another brutal winter of Russian missile attacks. Koretskyi’s experience will help. "}],[{"start":94.15,"text":"But by far the most important of the changes is the removal of Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister after only six months in the job, which Fedorov confirmed in a Telegram post on Wednesday night. His predecessor also held the role for only six months. Fedorov’s successor will be Ukraine’s fifth defence minister since Russia’s full-scale invasion. The rapidly revolving door can only undermine Ukraine’s defence efforts."}],[{"start":118.45,"text":"Fedorov, moreover, has probably been the most successful Ukrainian minister of the past four and a half years. The 35-year-old tech whizz-kid has helped transform Ukraine’s fortunes on the battlefield. As digital minister, he was the architect of Ukraine’s drone revolution. His genius was encouraging a tech ecosystem that has become the envy of the world with its rapid innovation and adaptation cycles."}],[{"start":142.45,"text":"Fedorov is being removed seemingly for the wrong reasons. True, he has not solved the army’s mobilisation problems. Too few Ukrainians want to serve. Those who already do are exhausted and thinly stretched. The answer lies in more compulsion. But that is unpopular and socially destabilising. Zelenskyy has not wanted to grasp the nettle."}],[{"start":164.25,"text":"In his short time in office, Fedorov has at least made a start on manpower, with a plan for big pay rises for frontline troops, fixed-term contracts for new recruits and a path to (eventual) demobilisation for the longest-serving ones. He also started to streamline a cumbersome and bloated ministry."}],[{"start":183.45,"text":"Fedorov appears to have irked a still Soviet-minded top brass with his modernising, start-up ways, even though innovation and disruption have proved their value in this war. He is respected by western partners and popular at home, especially with young Ukrainians who see him as a committed and honest moderniser. Ukrainian media have talked of him as a potential presidential candidate, which appears to be the ultimate sin in Zelenskyy’s eyes, as past ministerial sackings have illustrated."}],[{"start":213.54999999999998,"text":"Wartime leaders understandably seek to centralise control and eliminate threats to their supreme authority. But wartime leadership should be about assembling the best team of talents, not rooting them out."}],[{"start":225.54999999999998,"text":"This editorial has been updated to reflect subsequent developments"}],[{"start":234.6,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1784164884_9018.mp3"}