Ukraine protests surge after dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and calls to oust army chief Oleksandr Syrsk
President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, triggering large‑scale street protests in Kyiv and more than a dozen other Ukrainian cities. Demonstrators, many of them young, chant “Fedorov, Fedorov!” and demand both his reinstatement and the removal of Commander‑in‑Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, whose name appears on protest signs such as “Syrskyi, out!”.
The protests have continued for several days despite martial‑law rules and ongoing Russian missile attacks on Kyiv. Zelensky has met with senior military commanders and said, “The public’s views have been heard,” while weighing possible personnel changes, including a potential replacement for Syrskyi. Former defence minister Yevhen Khmara, head of Ukraine’s SBU, has been installed as interim defence minister.
The unrest reflects deeper tensions in Ukraine’s war effort: over 600 attacks on recruitment officers have been recorded, and the dismissal of Fedorov underscores a split between reform‑oriented defence leadership that pushes for modern technology and a traditional army command that resists such changes.