Thousands of people gathered in central Kiev and other cities in Ukraine on Thursday to demand that Parliament reappoint Mihailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense after his dismissal.
„Reinstate him!” chanted the protesters in front of the Presidential Administration in central Kiev, waving Ukrainian flags and signs criticizing the decision, according to Kiev Independent.
The dismissal of Fedorov by President Volodymyr Zelensky has triggered a wave of criticism from parliamentarians, military personnel, veterans, and civil society representatives, who argue that Ukraine is losing one of the most efficient officials from the wartime period without a clear explanation.
Meanwhile, Ukraine already has a new Prime Minister. Serhii Koretsky was voted in by Parliament.
Reflecting on his tenure, Fedorov highlighted over 20 major achievements, including disrupting Russian forces’ access to Starlink systems, coordinating attacks against Russian logistics in occupied Crimea, and launching what he described as „an unpopular but extremely important military reform.”
Interior Minister Igor Klymenko has been proposed for the future position of Defense Minister of Ukraine. His appointment requires Parliament’s approval, but several lawmakers from the ruling „Servant of the People” party have expressed opposition. Pro-government deputy Nikita Poturaev stated his intention to resign in protest against this decision.
Many demonstrators have stated that the dismissal has undermined confidence in the reforms that Fedorov had begun to implement.
Tatiana Bohdanovska, 29, whose brother Kostiantin Kaminskii, 22, with the call sign „Castet,” was killed in the fighting in the Kharkov region in 2022, said she sees this decision as a betrayal of those who sacrificed their lives to defend Ukraine.
„My brother died believing that this country would become different,” Bohdanovska told Kiev Independent. „If the government had invested earlier in technology and supported the army as it should, maybe he would still be alive.”
She argued that Fedorov had started modernizing the Ukrainian army through investments in technology and by combating deeply rooted corruption.
„In the last six months, he achieved results that soldiers supported,” she said. „He started to change a very old and corrupt system. Maybe someone in the government is not ready for these changes. But we are—and that’s why we are here,” she said.
Bohdanovska also compared Fedorov’s dismissal to the replacement of former Chief of the Ukrainian Army, Valeri Zaluzhny, saying that both decisions came after the respective officials had gained broad public trust.
Among the protesters was Heorhii Pavliuchenko, 25, who described the decision as „one of the biggest mistakes” made by the government since the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion.
„We must do everything we can to keep our army strong. One of these decisions is to bring back Fedorov,” Pavliuchenko said.
He stated that Fedorov’s leadership style stood out for his willingness to embrace innovation and maintain close ties with troops on the front lines.
„He is young, he is innovative, and he has a connection with soldiers and ordinary people. Klymenko represents the old Soviet-style system that needs to be changed,” Pavliuchenko said.