The wave of discontent in Ukraine does not subside, and tonight the mass demonstrations against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov from the post of Minister of Defense entered their tenth consecutive day.
Hundreds of protesters continue to gather on “Franko“ Square in the capital Kiev, right next to the building of the Office of the President. Similar actions are being held in parallel in major urban centers such as Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, Uzhgorod and Nikolaev.
The tension escalated after the large-scale government changes initiated by President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Fedorov was removed due to an open conflict with the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Oleksandr Syrsky. Seeking a way out of the political crisis, Zelensky dismissed General Syrsky a few days ago and replaced him with Major General Mykhailo Drapati. Despite this reshuffle, the protesters announced an indefinite peaceful campaign led by veteran Dmytro Kozyatynsky. Citizens are demanding only the immediate reinstatement of Fedorov to the Ministry of Defense, rejecting any other compromise appointments offered by the authorities.
According to a report by the TSN.ua television channel, the gathered crowd is holding up banners with slogans such as “Return the effective minister“ and “Reforms must continue“. The demonstrators emphasize that it is Fedorov who is the architect of the modern technological drone warfare that has given Ukraine a strategic advantage on the battlefield.
The Interfax.com.ua news agency adds that Mykhailo Fedorov himself has categorically refused the alternative post of Deputy Prime Minister for Military Innovations, stating that only the position of Minister of Defense allows him to really influence the course of the war. The situation remains dynamic, with protesters in Kharkiv being forced to briefly move their rally to the metro due to an air raid warning, but without abandoning their demands.
In its international analysis of the events, DW notes that the protests are quickly taking on a more organized structure, with improvised tents being erected in the squares and donations being collected for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. At the same time, the temporary position of Minister of War remains in the hands of General Yevhen Khmara until the Verkhovna Rada votes on a permanent candidate.