ALBAWABA - Large protests have erupted in several cities in Ukraine after Zelenskyy reshuffled his government; removing popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
More than a thousand people took to the streets and into the central square in Kyiv, according to AFP. The same was seen in Lviv, Odessa, and Dnipro. The protestors sang the national anthem, waved Ukraine and EU flags, and chanted “shame” and “bring Fedorov back.”
While only being in the office for six months, Fedorov was a modernizer who attempted many reforms in the Ukrainian military to shape it to be better able to face Russia as the war marked its fourth year.
Despite suffering heavy attacks, Ukraine is finding itself in its strongest position militarily since the start of the war as its attacks hit deep into Russia targeting oil and gas infrastructure, causing heavy fuel shortages in the largest country in the world.
No official reason was given for the dismissal, protestors saw it as signs of infighting between Fedorov and commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky. Fedorov said it was a "great honour to serve the Ukrainian people",
Fedorov later confirmed the rumors of infighting stating that "Instead of figuring out how to defeat Russia asymmetrically -- which is the commander-in-chief's task -- he figured out how to split the country we're all living in today," Fedorov told journalists at a briefing in Kyiv.
"I believe that his dismissal is a slap in the face of the Ukrainian people," Vlada Roman, a 30-year-old business owner said, hoping Zelenskyy would reverse his decision, she added that Zelenskyy was "afraid of effective people."
"After today's rally he'll change his mind, I hope so."
The dismissal was deeply controversial even within Ukraine’s military establishment with the deputy commander of Ukraine's air force Pavlo Yelizarov resigning in protest at Fedorov's removal.
"It is a great honor for me to work with Mykhailo Fedorov. In 2022, I joined the defence forces to win, not to pretend to be doing something," he said in his resignation statement.
