On Friday, thousands of Ukrainian citizens marched and gathered in the center of Kyiv to express their strong opposition to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to dismiss Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Fedorov is widely regarded as a key figure in promoting military innovation during the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Fedoro took over as the Minister of Defense of Ukraine in January this year, but was removed from his position in mid-July during a government reshuffle, a decision that came as a surprise with no official explanation provided.
Since then, Ukrainian citizens have been gathering near the presidential palace, demanding Fedorov be reinstated as he has refused to accept any other government position.
Initially, Zelensky stated that he dismissed Fedorov because of a serious conflict between Fedorov and the then Chief Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. However, under public pressure, he also removed Syrskyi from his position a week later.
However, there is widespread speculation that Fedorov was dismissed because he attempted to address the corruption issues in the defense sector. Fedorov seemed to confirm these claims in a recent interview but did not reveal specific details.
On Friday, protestors marched through the center of Kyiv to draw the president’s attention and eventually flooded into the heart of the capital on Khreshchatyk Street.
Some Ukrainians question whether Ukraine can win the war against Russia if the military system inherited from the Soviet era is not modernized, and Fedorov was a supporter and implementer of this transformation.
At the time of Fedorov’s dismissal, Ukraine was intensifying its strikes on Russian military and energy targets, and reporting progress made by the Ukrainian forces on the frontlines.
So far, it is unclear if Zelensky intends to reverse his previous decision. He has appointed Yevhenii Khmara, the acting director of the National Security Bureau, as the acting Minister of Defense. According to Ukrainian law, the Minister of Defense is a civilian position.
The Ukrainian citizens who took to the streets on Friday expressed their readiness to continue demonstrating, chanting “the people are powerful.”
(This article was referenced from Reuters reports)