Renewed protests erupt in Kyiv over former DM Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal

Protesters also criticized former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, recently appointed head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and Vitaly Kim, the new Minister of Veterans Affairs.

At a checkpoint on the corner of Instytutska and Olhynska streets, demonstrators delivered an appeal and a petition to a representative of the Presidential Office. The documents, addressed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, demand an official explanation for the recent appointments of Rustem Umerov and Vitalii Kim, and call on the government to appoint leadership to the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Protest organizer and military veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi noted that the group attempted to register their petition on the president’s website, but it was rejected.

Simultaneous demonstrations also took place in Lviv, Dnipro, Lutsk, Rivne, Poltava, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi.

Protest over Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal

The Ukrainian parliament voted to appoint new ministers to Serhii Koretskyi's government on July 16, leaving only the defense and foreign affairs ministries vacant because they require formal candidate proposals from the Ukrainian president.

Protests erupted in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine in support of Fedorov, with demonstrators demanding the dismissal of Oleksandr Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Zelenskyy announced on the evening of July 21 that Syrskyi was stepping down and being replaced by Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi. Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed the acting head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), General Yevhenii Khmara, as the acting defense minister later that same day.

The new Cabinet of Ministers appointed Yevhenii Khmara as acting Defense Minister and Andriy Sybiha as acting Minister of Foreign Affairs on July 17.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on July 23 that he had offered Fedorov several positions, including Deputy Prime Minister for Military Innovation. Following this, Mykhailo Fedorov stated that he would not accept any position other than Minister of Defense.

Veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi, who initiated the protests, announced an open-ended peaceful demonstration beginning July 24. “We will come out every day and stand for as many days as necessary for the authorities to hear us,” he said.

The ZMINA Human Rights Center reported on August 8 that the Telegram chat used to coordinate protests against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov was deleted following the detention of its administrator, Vitalii Kamka.

Approximately 500 people gathered at Ivan Franko Square in Kyiv on August 14 for a rally supporting former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Attendees demanded open dialogue and a clear reform plan from state authorities while preparing a formal petition for the Presidential Office.