On the evening of July 19, another protest was held in Kyiv against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov from the post of Ukraine’s defense minister. According to a correspondent for TSN television, several hundred people gathered near the Ivan Franko Theater.
Participants objected not only to the personnel decision itself but also raised broader demands. In particular, they called for the resignation of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi and for reforms in the military.
According to the report, demonstrations are taking place not only in the capital. Protests were also held in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, and Odesa. Actions against Fedorov’s removal have continued in Ukraine since July 16.
On July 14, the Ukrainian government resigned in full. Some ministers were later reappointed, but Fedorov was replaced as defense minister by Yevhen Khmara.
Fedorov himself said that the reason for his removal was a conflict with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. At the same time, according to Financial Times and Meduza, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also considering the possible dismissal of Syrskyi.
As follows from the source material, the government of Yulia Svyrydenko had been in office for only a year. Against this backdrop, the change at the Defense Ministry has triggered ongoing protests and criticism of the Ukrainian leadership’s decisions.