Protesting Zelensky's decision: "Must do everything"

 

Hanna Kindwall 

Published 22:40

Ukraine's defense minister has been hailed as an innovator.

Now he is forced to resign - and Kiev residents are protesting.

- We must do everything we can to keep our army strong, Heorhii Pavliuchenko tells the Kyiv Independent.

The quick version

• Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's defense minister, has been forced to resign, leading to thousands of demonstrations in Kiev against the decision.
• During his short time as minister, Fedorov has become known for renewing Ukraine's military strategy by investing in drone warfare and preventing Russia's use of Starlink.
• The resignation is due to a conflict between Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyj, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyj now nominating Yevheniy Chmara as Fedorov's acting replacement.

Thousands of people demonstrated today in Kiev against the forced resignation of Ukraine's Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

"Reappoint him," the protesters shouted, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Fedorov has held the post since January this year and has in a short time been praised as an innovator of Ukraine's military strategy. Among other things, the defense minister managed to block Russia's use of Starlink and invest in drone warfare.

The announcement that he is being replaced has been criticized by war veterans, soldiers and debaters, who believe that Ukraine is now losing its most effective leaders.

"Started to change"

Tatiana Bohdanovska, 29, is one of those who demonstrated in Kiev. Her brother, 22-year-old Kostiantyn Kaminskyi, died in combat in Kharkiv in 2022.

- My brother died with the belief that this country would be different, she tells the Kyiv Independent.

She and the other protesters believe that Fedorov's line is necessary for success in the war.

- Over the past six months, he has achieved results that the soldiers supported. He started to change a system that is old and corrupt. Maybe there are people in the government who are not ready for these changes. But we are, and that is why we are here, says Bohdanovska.

"Soviet" leadership style

The dismissal comes after a conflict between Fedorov and the country's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrsky. Fedorov has accused the commander-in-chief of preventing the modernization of the army, calling his leadership style "Soviet".

- We ended up in a situation where all the initiatives we proposed were stopped, Fedorov said at a press conference.

Syrsky, 60, is significantly older than the 35-year-old Fedorov and began his career in the Soviet army. The conflict has become a generational struggle, with mainly young people now demonstrating for Fedorov.

Protester Heorhii Pavliuchenko, 25, calls the dismissal one of the biggest mistakes made since Russia launched its full-scale invasion four years ago.

– We must do everything we can to keep our army strong. One of those decisions is to bring Fedorov back.

“Need to resolve it”

Volodymyr Zelenskyj has confirmed that the conflict is the reason for the dismissal, reports the AP.

– If two sides cannot resolve a conflict, then I will have to resolve it, says the Ukrainian president.

Zelenskyj nominated Yevhenij Chmara as acting defense minister on Thursday evening, writes TT. Chmara thus moves from the role of head of the security service SBU to become a minister.