JUST IN: Thousands of people protest in several cities in Ukraine against the dismissal of the Minister of Defense | International
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A political, military and social earthquake shakes Ukraine. Thousands of people have come out to demonstrate this Thursday in kyiv and other cities in protest of the dismissal of Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov, ordered by President Volodymyr Zelensky and carried out on Wednesday night. All, at a time when the Ukrainian drones are doing the most damage to the Russians, which has placed the invaded country in the best position against the invader since 2022. In his first appearance, a few hours after being removed, Fedorov this Thursday pointed out the head of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Sirski, as responsible for interfering with his management. And he has stressed that Zelensky himself has told him that he is not going to replace the powerful general. The rallies against what many Ukrainians consider a wrong, unpopular and unfair decision have taken place in other cities in the country in addition to the capital, such as Kharkiv or Sumi, both heavily punished by the Russian bombings. There are thousands of people who, according to local media, have come out to express their disagreement with posters and banners. Volodymyr Zelensky and, at his side, Minister Fedorov, in kyiv on May 11. Anadolu (Anadolu via Getty Images) Fedorov, 35, had only been in office for seven months, but in that short space of time he had built a good reputation both domestically and abroad. The expressions of surprise at the dismissal and the messages of support for Fedorov also occur on social networks, where some of the minister’s advisors have announced that they are no longer continuing with their duties. His departure is part of a reform of the Government undertaken last Sunday by Zelensky. That day, the president announced that Prime Minister Julia Sviridenko was leaving office. This Thursday, coinciding with the protests, Parliament – where the president’s party has a majority – approved Zelensky’s proposal that the new head of the Government be Sergii Koretskyi, until now president of Naftogaz, the giant state energy company. Koretskyi had led the company since May 2025. “I sincerely wish him strength, wisdom and resilience to lead the Government and serve our country,” Sviridenko, the outgoing prime minister, wrote on her social networks, referring to her successor, a 48-year-old engineer with no previous prolitic experience. Sergii Koretskyi, this Thursday in the Parliament of Ukraine, in kyiv. Andrii Nesterenko (REUTERS)Koretskyi is the third head of government to lead the Cabinet since, in February 2022, Russia launched the great invasion of its neighboring country, which it had already occupied in part since 2014. Zelensky dedicated the morning to meeting precisely with another recently resigned prime minister, the British Keir Starmer, whom he received in Kiev. Some of the messages shown at the protests charge against General Sriski, 60 years old. Tensions between the ministry and the army have marked Fedorov’s period at the head of Defense. The former minister has had to face with his drive focused on drone technology and his modern vision the old guard of uniformed men led by Sirski and who trust more in military strategies of yesteryear. In fact, the now dismissed was at the beginning of the great titular invasion of Digital Transformation, before becoming deputy prime minister until January 2026, when Zelensky placed him in charge of Defense. Fedorov himself, who does not bite his tongue, publicly pointed out this Thursday to Sirski, whom he blames for hindering the ministry’s actions. He accuses him of focusing more on destabilizing the country than on defeating Russia. “All the initiatives that we propose began to be blocked,” he said during an appearance reported by the local press in which he added that Zelensky has confirmed to him that he is not going to relieve Sirski. Fedorov, who has rejected Zelensky’s offer to be one of his advisors, recognizes the role that the current head of the Armed Forces had in the 2022 Ukrainian counteroffensives in kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson, but, at the same time, He emphasizes that the war has changed a lot since then. “It is necessary to clearly understand what was effective in the past and what exactly must be done now to defeat Russia,” added the main promoter of the drone war. The young minister has played a fundamental role in the modernization of the arms industry, an essential pillar of defense against the Russian invasion and the development of both exports in that sector and the fundamental collaboration with other countries to continue maintaining growth. Some analysts predict that Fedorov will soon find a place in a large company outside Ukraine. In July 2025, the streets of the capital also hosted massive demonstrations, in this case after Zelensky de facto blocked the institutions that monitor corruption in the country. The president was forced to back down after several days of popular pressure. What happened this Thursday is still far from that, but no one rules out the possibility that the movement in defense of Fedorov could spread. Meanwhile, the names of possible replacements are being made public. The one that has been heard the most in recent hours is that of the current head of the Interior, Ihor Klimenko.
International Perspective:
Officials and international observers are expected to continue monitoring the story closely over the coming days.
Political and economic analysts are paying close attention to the potential consequences of these events.
Our editorial team will continue tracking this story as new reports become available.
Source: This article was originally published by Internacional en EL PAÍS and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.