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Protesters in Ukraine have given Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky until Friday to reinstate as defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who is said to have rejected the president’s offer of another government post.
Demonstrations started on July 16 in Ivan Franko Square, next to the presidential administration in Kyiv, and spread to 16 cities, as anger increased over Zelensky’s removal of Fedorov, who was widely credited for pushing Kyiv’s battlefield momentum against Russia.
The move to replace Fedorov was part of a major government reshuffle last week in which Ukraine’s parliament appointed Serhii Koretskyi as prime minister.
Zelensky has not given clear reason for the dismissal but it comes amid reports of a clash between Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Protest organizer Dmytro Koziatynskyi said the movement demands Zelensky reinstate Fedorov and remove Syrskyi by the end of the week.
Koziatynskyi told the Kyiv Independent there would be a three-day pause until Friday “and if our demand is met by Friday, we’ll stop,” later warning on social media of an “indefinite” protest if the demands were ignored.
Zelensky had offered Fedorov a return to government with an expanded mandate which the former defense minister had refused, the Financial Times reported, citing a Ukrainian official and two other sources.
“I see this as an incredibly massive political test for President Zelensky,” Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope for Ukraine which helps front-line war communities told Newsweek. “If people remain on the streets for days, the pressure will be too intense to ignore.”
Newsweek has contacted Zelensky’s office for comment.
Zelensky Under Pressure
As Ukraine enjoys growing momentum in the war against Russia, Zelensky is considering replacing Syrskyi with Joint Forces chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, according to Bloomberg citing two unnamed sources.
Critics of Syrskyi want a shift away from his highly centralized command structure rooted in Soviet military doctrine, and he could be fired within days, according to the outlet.
“Leaving Syrskyi in place now would mean not only ignoring the will of society but also demoralizing the army,” Koziatynskyi said on social media.
Fedorov is a popular figure in Ukraine, credited with accelerating military innovation, expanding the use of technology, and strengthening cooperation between the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces, Elina Beketova, fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) told Newsweek.
He also has the backing of Drapatyi who noted how cooperation had developed between the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces.
“Whether this becomes a major political test for Zelensky will largely depend on how he responds to the combined pressure from Ukrainian society and Ukraine’s international partners,” Beketova said.
“I don’t think any disagreements between Fedorov, and the military leadership are necessarily irreconcilable,” she said.
Beketova said in a country fighting a full-scale war, it is possible to divide responsibilities more clearly.
Military commanders can remain responsible for battlefield operations and mobilization, while Fedorov could continue leading technological innovation, defense procurement modernization, and the development of asymmetric capabilities, she said.
“Strategic disagreements can ultimately be resolved through the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff, which is designed precisely to coordinate decisions between the political and military leadership,” Beketova added.
Zelensky met with military commanders and political advisers over four days to find a solution to the crisis, the FT reported.
Fedorov had been offered a senior role within Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council and a mandate to oversee defense innovation and military reform.
The post would allow him to oversee defense technology programs, scale production of long-range weapons, and push reforms outside the defense ministry and military command.
However, Fedorov has declined other posts because he only wants to be restored as defense minister, the FT reported.
Boyechko said that Zelensky will likely have to reverse his decision if the protests did not stop, especially as they are larger than last year’s demonstrations against a law curbing the independence of anti-corruption watchdogs, which Zelensky reversed.
“Just like he did with the anti-corruption law protests, Zelensky will have to read the room and walk this back, because maintaining national unity and public morale in wartime is simply too critical to risk.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Frances Mao and Trevor Davies.
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