Desperate Power Struggle. July 2026 (Part 1)

Forecast: Global Human Forecast for July 2026. Part 1 (Published June 28, 2026, link)

S. Dragan:

We have reached the threshold of the beginning of extremely important changes in the global sense of the word. A month that could heat up many circumstances and almost tie all those hot storylines for which many secretly hoped into a single knot. But July 2026 will add fuel to the fire with the sharpest events, a very desperate power struggle, adding other complexities to this spicy dish...

"July 2026 added fuel to the fire with the sharpest events, a very desperate power struggle" in European countries.

The United Kingdom has changed its prime minister. In Germany, opposition forces are demanding the chancellor's resignation, as their approval ratings have hit historic lows. In Spain, the catastrophic influx of Moroccan migrants is attributed to mistakes made by the country's leader. Macron, clinging to the remnants of his rating, has lost all trust and influence in the country due to his policy errors, and even the fact that less than a year remains until the end of his presidential term in Paris doesn't make a difference. However, the European problems of the "desperate power struggle" will be addressed in subsequent confirmations.

Of particular interest is the power struggle that erupted in July at the "Bankovaya" among those vying for power in Kyiv.

As of early summer 2026, Ukraine, following the cardboard revolution of 2025, has almost established a year of de facto dual rule: the Zelensky bloc and the "Soros" bloc, both pro-Western and war-oriented, with their main conflict centered on the control of financial flows. The latter attempted to seize Zelensky's primary sources of corrupt money through the Ministry of Defense. The implementer of these plans, the "Soros" bloc, is the new Minister of Defense, M. Fedorov.

The situation of the "neutral" confrontation between the two blocs began to change in early summer 2026. Everything happened to a certain extent unexpectedly.

At the beginning of July 2026, rumors emerged about potential presidential elections in Ukraine. It is likely that Zelenskyy hoped that, given the current conditions of Kiev's tyranny, it would be easy to stage elections with "right" results for him. London even offered its services to organize the elections. However, it is well-known to everyone: "What's in it for the Anglo-Saxons?" But it seems that ensuring the election results is not as simple or straightforward as one might think.

Surprisingly, boxer Usik traveled to Washington to meet with Trump. Rumors immediately spread about his ambitions to run for president. However, he later denied his claims to the Kiev regime's leadership position.

According to opinion polls, Zelenskyy's real dangerous rival is the former Commander-in-Chief, now Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, Zaluzhyy.

Despite entreaties from Zelensky and his allies, he did not back down from a potential presidential run in the "Independent" and, if elections were called, stated he would campaign for "Bankovaya."

Zaluzhny is playing his game, relying on his London curators, and is likely seen as a transitional backup option should Zelensky need to be replaced.

How to finally neutralize Zaluzhny as a competitor in Zelensky's office remains undecided.

Zaluzhny has been making quite strange statements at odds with Kyiv's propaganda. He blamed Zelensky for the failure of the 2023 counteroffensive.

His recent claim that Ukraine would never become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) and that talks about it are "fairy tales" would have landed someone else in prison, had SBU made such statements.

This is how the slogans of the upcoming election campaign sound: Zelensky is to blame for the country's current problems.

The real threat of competition for Zelensky has emerged directly within the circle of his closest allies, with whom he came to power in 2019. And if the Kiev dictator has already neutralized the main part of them, then there is one person left from this team - M. Fedorov.

Zelensky gave him the opportunity to lead and make good money in the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Defense. But here comes the "black ingratitude": he dared to touch the sacred - he started expressing presidential ambitions.

Federov, who took up his post as Defense Minister just six months ago, has already made a name for himself with a flurry of activity, extensively covered by grant-funded media. His accomplishments are said to include boosting Ukrainian drone production and reaching an agreement with Elon Musk to block Russian military satellite communication via Starlink. Additionally, he announced a reform of mobilization in Ukraine this winter. However, besides increasing bureaucracy and sparking outrage among ordinary citizens, no other tangible results were achieved.

The active minister not only openly irritated Zelensky but also began to compete with him for financial flows and future political power.

First, thanks to media publicity, the official transformed into an independent political figure, with predictions of a future prime minister or even president.

Second, his attempts to reform military procurement and introduce open tenders clashed with the interests of figures close to Zelensky, such as Fire Point co-owner Denis Shtilerman. But most importantly, during the drone procurement process, Federov ignored the interests of German companies, which are lobbied by Ursula von der Leyen herself.

Thirdly, the situation was complicated by a conflict between Fedorov and the chief of the UAS, Alexander Syrsy, over the prioritization of the weaponry being procured. "It reached absurdity. Syrsy would come to Zelensky and say: 'Fedorov isn't allocating anything for specific operations'. Then Fedorov would come and respond: 'We've allocated everything, it's just being misused'. And so on," a source from the 'Ukrainian Truth' publication described the situation.

The seriousness of their relationship wasn't confirmed by other sources. It could have been fabricated to find a reason to remove Fedorov.

It's believed that the support group for the Minister of Defense has been behind several high-profile scandals about torture and abuse within the Ukrainian Armed Forces in recent times. On July 16, Fedorov confirmed that he had proposed the resignation of Syrsy and the Chief of the Ukrainian General Staff, Andrei Gnativ. According to him, the chief of staff blocked his initiatives and "worked for division."

It's worth noting that Zelensky doesn't tolerate anyone near him who could even slightly compete with him.

Fedoryov is the "last from Ze's chosen team," and he was supposed to step into an unseen role. However, Fedoryov has strong Western backers and influential figures in Ukraine, which is why this had to be done discreetly, so no one would guess who Зеленsky's main target is in this latest reshuffle.

In mid-July, Зеленsky, concealing his true intentions, decided to reboot the entire Ukrainian government. He announced the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko. On July 16, the Verkhovna Rada voted for the new Prime Minister, who became the head of the Naftogaz company, Sergei Koretsky. He is linked to Zelensky's close ally Timur Mindich and is considered a more manageable figure.

Along with Sviridenko, the entire government resigned automatically. On July 16, the Verkhovna Rada approved the appointment of 16 new cabinet ministers, except for the heads of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to numerous testimonies, it is confirmed that the main content of these personnel changes was indeed the removal from office of Defense Minister Mikhail Fedoryov.

In the end, Zelensky decided to appoint the current head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Igor Klimenko, as the new Minister of Defense in place of Fedorov. This decision faced strong opposition from various grant-funded public activists. "If we have to name one of Zelensky's biggest mistakes, it's right in front of us," said journalist and international organization employee Natalya Gumenyuk.

Zelensky accused Fedorov of conflicts with the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the failure of the mobilization reform, but grant media and numerous activists consider the official highly effective.

Moreover, due to Fedorov's removal, the deputy commander of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Pavel Elizarov, also resigned. According to him, the situation painfully undermines the country's defense capability. Simultaneously, a prominent representative of the pro-presidential faction "Servant of the People," Nikita Poturaev, submitted a resignation statement. He told journalists that "Fedorov was in the right place."

The кадров (personnel) decision did not go unnoticed in the West. European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius stated that the event was a major surprise, and in Brussels, "questions arise." Major Western media also criticize Zelensky. For instance, the Financial Times quotes an unnamed MP who speaks of a gloomy atmosphere in the Rada and a blow to the authority's image.

In Ukraine, protests were quickly organized and funded over Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov's resignation.

On the morning of July 16 in Kyiv, a rather large protest took place. Several hundred participants gathered in the city center on Ivan Franco Square, many holding cardboard posters with slogans in support of the Defense Minister and criticism of Zelensky. Similar rallies were held in 13 other cities, including Lviv, Odessa, and Kharkiv.

With a certain degree of tension, the opposition's "cardboard" protests lasted until the end of July 2026.

All of this confirms that in Kyiv, «...in July 2026, there was a very desperate power struggle...».

(continued)