Ukraine Fans Rally as President Fires Popular Defence Minister
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday shocked the country by replacing defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a man Ukrainian soldiers credit for modernising their war effort.
A wave of protests erupted across Kyiv and other cities, with young demonstrators holding signs that read “Hands off Fedorov” and chanting “Shame!”. The unrest shows how fiercely people back Fedorov’s hard‑tack, tech‑driven approach.
Fedorov was a former digital‑transformation minister who set up the volunteer IT Army, spearheaded drone funding, and even pushed SpaceX’s Elon‑Musk to block Russian use of Starlink satellites. Many see him as the best defence minister “in Ukraine’s history.”
After Fedorov’s sacking, Zelensky announced acting defence minister Yevhenii Khmara, chief of the Security Service (SBU). Yet the decision sparked anger inside the army; some officers resigned in protest, calling the move a “great evil for Ukraine’s defence capability.”
The protests show the deep frustration that critics say comes from a “systemic” split between the General Staff and the defence ministry. As Ukraine’s war drags on, every leadership decision is watched carefully under the eye of its people.
