Thousands protest in Kyiv for second day after Zelensky sacks popular defence minister Fedorov and appoints Klymenko to security council

Dismissal and the Syrskyi rift

President Volodymyr Zelensky removed 35-year-old defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov on 15 July, ending a tenure that had made the young tech-minded reformer a symbol of Ukraine's drone-driven battlefield successes. The decision followed months of open conflict between Fedorov and commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, a 60-year-old general trained in the Soviet era. Fedorov wanted to modernise the armed forces and double down on unmanned systems; Syrskyi insisted that tanks and mortars were still essential to retake territory. According to Het Parool, the general forced the issue by telling Zelensky "him or me." The president sided with Syrskyi.

Zelensky told MPs from his Servant of the People party that Fedorov had also failed to deliver the promised reform of the mobilisation system, Ukrainska Pravda reported. The dismissal came as a shock because Fedorov had been in the post only since mid-January and was widely credited with the recent long-range strike campaign that has begun to claw back the initiative from Russia.

Street protests

Thousands gathered outside the presidential office in central Kyiv on 16 and 17 July, waving Ukrainian flags and carrying placards demanding Fedorov's return. The protests were the largest wartime display of public dissent since rallies last year forced Zelensky to abandon a rollback of anti-corruption agencies. Valeriia Balenko, 29, stood among the crowd.

I truly believe and hope that the authorities will, after all, listen to the people, that it will heed the people's demands. Because this is what the people want, for the sake of our soldiers' lives, and for the sake of the civilians who live under air attacks every day.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that demonstrations continued for a third consecutive day, while other outlets described the second day of rallies. The protests spread beyond the capital to other Ukrainian cities.

Soldiers speak out

Among troops and wounded veterans, the reaction was one of fury. A disfigured soldier awaiting surgery recorded a video message on Telegram.

My operation is scheduled for tomorrow. I hope when I wake up after the anaesthetic, Fedorov will be back at the Ministry of Defence. Otherwise, everything I was fighting for will have been in vain.

A servicewoman given the pseudonym Maryna called the move "a blatant slap in the face to all service members" and said a dictatorship was unfolding. Another soldier, Natasha, noted that on the front line, the political drama felt distant: "Yesterday our positions here got hit by MLRS, so nobody cared about Fedorov or the cardboard signs." Army chiefs have reportedly warned the ranks not to engage in political debate.

New appointments

On 17 July, Zelensky tapped former interior minister Ihor Klymenko to lead the national security and defence council, tasking him with coordinating "all components of the security and defence sector," including defence production. It remained unclear whether the current chairman, Rustem Umerov, who is also Ukraine's top negotiator in US-backed peace talks, would be offered another post.

Zelensky proposed Yevhenii Khmara, the acting head of the SBU security service who has overseen long-range strikes against Russia, as acting defence minister. Analyst Volodymyr Fesenko pointed out a constitutional hurdle: as a serving military officer, Khmara cannot legally become defence minister unless he resigns from the armed forces. The new government is led by prime minister Serhii Koretskyi, replacing Yulia Svyrydenko.

Analysts weigh in

Fesenko told Het Parool that Fedorov's popularity may have been the real reason for his removal. "Unlike Syrsky, Fedorov is immensely popular. I think that is the real reason for his dismissal." He added that the foundations of Ukraine's recent successes were laid before Fedorov took office, and that the country had held out long before his arrival.

Another analyst, Garmash, warned that the crisis was widening a gap between citizens and the government, eroding trust. "Khmara will not solve that problem as long as he continues to work with General Syrsky," he said. The political turmoil unfolds as Ukraine still struggles with troop recruitment and a shortage of air defences to protect cities from Russian missile strikes.