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KYIV: Thousands of people turned out in Kyiv on Friday to protest Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s sacking of his popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov as part of a controversial reshuffle.
The protesters, many of them carrying the Ukrainian flag and placards expressing support for Fedorov, gathered in the capital for the second day running to protest the decision.
During his barely six months in office, Fedorov repeatedly clashed with the army’s top commander in his efforts to digitise and modernise an army fatigued after four years fighting off the Russian invasion.
A day after being forced to resign on Wednesday, Fedorov accused Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky of dividing the country.
He criticised slow bureaucracy and a lack of flexibility, questioning whether Ukraine could defeat Russia with Syrsky in charge of the army.
Zelensky himself lamented that the two sides were barely on speaking terms.
“A president in wartime should not have to choose in such a situation, honestly,” he said. “I would very much like unity.”
Following Fedorov’s removal, Zelensky announced he had appointed Yevgeniy Khmara — head of Ukraine’s security service — as acting defence minister.
Around a thousand people protested Fedorov’s removal in Kyiv and there were protests too in other cities.
During his tenure as defence minister, he boosted military salaries, announced plans for partial demobilisation and introduced game-like rewards systems for units that kill the most Russian soldiers.
But Fedorov, who has never served in the army, clashed repeatedly with the military command’s more traditional approach.
He won admirers among Ukraine’s Western partners, many of whom, including Palantir CEO Alex Karp, have reached out following the dismissal.
Even before becoming defence chief, Fedorov spent much of the war promoting advanced technology, like drones, as a way to offset Ukraine’s shortages in manpower, money and ammunition.
A poll from the Kyiv Institute of Sociology said Fedorov ranked among the country’s most trusted public figures.
Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2026
