Despite the dismissal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the discontent of Ukrainians has not subsided, and they are preparing to protest on Friday to demand the return of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
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“Well, guys, get ready for Friday: we still have to bring Fedorov back,” protest organizer and veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi wrote on X, who told the Kyiv Independent newspaper that if their demands are not met, protesters will announce what they describe as an “indefinite protest.”
According to the Financial Times, protests in support of Fedorov in Kyiv, which began last Thursday, have spread to at least 16 cities. Protesters have expanded their demands to argue that Ukraine needs to adopt the new approach to war that Fedorov’s innovations had generated, as the conflict with Russia enters a critical phase more than four years after its start.
Veterans, military personnel, and the general public continue to argue that Fedorov’s dismissal risks undermining reforms in the Ministry of Defense and demand his reinstatement.
Fedorov, 35, had taken office as Defense Minister on January 14 and was dismissed from his post on July 15 by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The crisis in Zelensky’s government began when Fedorov, one of the cabinet’s most popular ministers, who has overseen a series of highly relevant initiatives, including reforms and programs aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s military capabilities, was asked to resign.
In response to popular demands, the government dismissed Syrskyi and appointed the commander of the Joint Forces, Mykhailo Drapatyi, a highly respected military leader, in his place.
“We have made great progress. The defense of Ukraine continues. And every soldier deserves to be treated with respect,” Zelensky said, adding that he was grateful to Syrskyi and to “each and every one of our soldiers” fighting on the front lines.
Fedorov welcomed Drapatyi’s appointment. “This brings a breath of fresh air and new hope to the struggle of free peoples for freedom and justice. It is a voice of change that could not be ignored,” he stated.
“The high expectations of the Ukrainian people must be met with a clear vision to end the war, a strong team, and decisive actions aimed at saving the lives of our soldiers, automating the front, launching asymmetric attacks, and crippling the Russian economy.”
Then, Zelensky declared on July 21 that he had offered Fedorov “a prominent position in the government” focused on strengthening Ukraine’s technology sector. The proposal reflected the president’s conviction that Fedorov could continue many of the reforms he had initiated without needing to return to the Ministry of Defense.
Fedorov oversaw reforms ranging from drone warfare and military modernization to disrupting Russian forces’ access to Starlink systems and coordinating attacks against Russian logistics. He also launched what he described as an “unpopular but extremely important” military reform.
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But the former minister said that currently “there are only three positions in the country that, along with the troops on the battlefield, truly determine the course of the war: the President of Ukraine, the Minister of Defense, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
“That is why I will not accept any position other than Minister of Defense. No other position grants me the real authority to combat corruption in procurement, complete the transformation of the Army, plan and execute asymmetric operations against the enemy, eradicate the culture of lies and impunity within the system, or complete the initiatives that our team has already started in the Ministry of Defense,” he added.
The Kyiv Independent noted that the dispute preceding Fedorov’s dismissal revolved around the tense relationship with Syrskyi, as both had fundamentally different approaches to military leadership and organizational culture.
Zelensky, the newspaper indicated, has not given a detailed explanation for Fedorov’s dismissal, referring only to the conflict between the former Defense Minister and Syrskyi.
Syrskyi was a proponent of a highly centralized command structure, rooted in Soviet military doctrine, and received criticism from soldiers and military analysts for his micromanagement and for fostering what critics described as a Soviet-style command culture. While Fedorov represented a reformist approach focused on innovation, decentralization, and technological modernization.
Drapatyi, the new commander-in-chief, is highly regarded within the Ukrainian Army and appreciated by the public. He is considered an ally of Fedorov.
Major General Drapatyi is the commander of Ukraine’s joint forces group. According to The Guardian, he has been fighting Russia since its covert attempt in 2014 to take control of the eastern Donbas region. He became nationally famous when he drove an infantry fighting vehicle over a barricade erected by pro-Russian militants in the city of Mariupol.
The Ukrainian outlet Babel described Drapatyi as one of Ukraine’s most capable battlefield commanders. It stated that his new job would fundamentally involve reforming a large institution, rather than commanding troops in combat.
Zelensky stated that he and Drapatyi agreed that Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks against targets in Russia, such as oil refineries, would continue. “Our precision strike program will be implemented with absolute precision,” he declared, promising a smooth and coordinated transition after Syrskyi’s departure.
He also said that the new commander-in-chief would be tasked with updating the country’s defense strategy and reforming its structure. Another urgent matter is mobilization, at a time when, after almost five years of large-scale war, few Ukrainians are willing to volunteer.
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