Ukrainians protest Zelenskyy's dismissal of Defence Minister Fedorov
The dismissal of reform-minded Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has triggered rare public protests in Ukraine, raising concerns about the country's military modernisation at a critical juncture in the war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Wednesday evening, sparking immediate online outrage that translated into street demonstrations across Ukrainian cities on Thursday morning.
Gathering at 09:01, immediately after the daily minute of silence for fallen soldiers and civilians, protesters carried hand-painted cardboard signs reading “You have fired the wrong one” and “The people protect the minister of defence.” It is the first time since last summer’s rallies backing anti-corruption watchdogs that online mobilisation has spilled into physical protests.
According to numerous reports, the dismissal stems from a dispute between Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi over how the Defence Ministry operates. The conflict is widely described as a generational clash between a young manager with a startup background and a traditional military general. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko is poised to replace Fedorov.
For European partners, the removal raises questions about the trajectory of Ukraine's military modernisation. Fedorov’s six-month tenure prioritised structural reform to align the ministry with NATO standards. He acknowledged on Wednesday that while a new structure was established and many people were made redundant, he had failed to complete the transformation, noting it was necessary to be “even more decisive in dismissing those who were holding back the changes.”
The backlash has reached the upper ranks of the armed forces. Pavlo Yelizarov, deputy commander of Ukraine's Air Force, announced his resignation on July 16, stating the move would lead to increased casualties from Russian missile and drone attacks. "I believe that the removal of M. Fedorov is a great evil for the country's defence capability," Yelizarov wrote.
Civil society figures have echoed these warnings. Serhii Sternenko, an activist and adviser to Fedorov on drone warfare, called the dismissal “the greatest demoralisation since the war began.” Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a veteran who helped organise last summer's protests, framed the firing as a direct threat to the war effort. “We will never defeat Russia as long as the same total stagnation and corruption rule our army and our ministries,” Koziatynskyi wrote, urging citizens to gather at Franko Square to oppose replacing effective ministers with “convenient opportunists.”
