In a rare display of wartime dissent, Ukrainians gathered in cities across the country on Thursday to protest President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to dismiss Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. The demonstrations, which began with a wave of social media outrage on Wednesday evening, mark the first time since last summer’s protests in support of Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs that online anger has spilled into the streets.
The protests were timed to begin at 09:01 local time, immediately after the nationwide minute of silence honouring fallen soldiers and civilians. In Kyiv, demonstrators assembled on Franko Square, holding cardboard signs with slogans such as “The people protect the minister of defence” and “You have fired the wrong one.”
Why Fedorov’s Dismissal Stings
Fedorov, who had served as defence minister for just six months, was widely seen as a reformer. His tenure focused on modernising the ministry, cutting bureaucratic redundancies, and aligning Ukraine’s defence structures with NATO standards. His removal, announced by Zelenskyy on Wednesday evening, has been linked to a conflict with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi over military reform proposals.
Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a war veteran and key organiser of last summer’s protests, posted on social media: “The defence minister is being removed in the middle of effective – finally effective! – reforms, replaced by someone under whom any hope of reform can be forgotten.” He referred to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, who is expected to take over the defence portfolio. Koziatynskyi added: “We will never defeat Russia as long as the same total stagnation and corruption rule our army and our ministries.”
The deputy commander of Ukraine’s Air Force, Pavlo Yelizarov, announced his resignation on July 16, directly linking it to Fedorov’s dismissal. “I believe that the removal of M. Fedorov is a great evil for the country’s defence capability,” Yelizarov wrote on Facebook, attaching his resignation letter. He warned that the change would lead to more casualties from Russian missile and drone attacks.
Serhii Sternenko, a prominent activist and former adviser to Fedorov on drone warfare, called the minister “the best Minister of Defence in our entire history” and described his firing as “the greatest demoralisation since the war began.”
A Generational Clash
The friction between Fedorov and Syrskyi has been characterised as a generational divide. Fedorov, a young manager with a startup background, pushed for rapid organisational transformation, while Syrskyi, a traditional military general, resisted changes to the ministry’s operations. Many Ukrainians have directed their anger at Syrskyi, who retained his post, accusing Zelenskyy of sacrificing a popular reformer at a critical juncture in the war.
In his farewell statement on Wednesday, Fedorov acknowledged both achievements and failures. He said his team had reduced staff numbers and set new processes in motion, but admitted he had not completed the ministry’s transformation to NATO standards and “common sense.”
The protests underscore growing public frustration with what some see as a pattern of reshuffles that undermine reform. The demonstrations also highlight the delicate balance Zelenskyy must strike between maintaining military cohesion and responding to civil society’s demands for accountability. As the war with Russia grinds on, the dismissal of a popular minister risks further eroding trust in the government’s ability to manage the conflict effectively.
For more on the broader context of European defence and Ukraine’s military strategy, see our analysis of EU Defence Chief Urges Negotiations as Ukraine Gains Military Edge and the original report on Fedorov’s dismissal.
