Ukrainians protested against Mr. Zelensky’s dismissal of Defense Minister

Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a former soldier who participated in organizing large-scale protests last year to protest a law limiting the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, today called on his supporters to take to the streets to protest President Volodymyr Zelensky’s dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

“The Defense Minister was dismissed in the midst of effective reforms, to be replaced by a person under whom all hope for reform has disappeared. All hope for reform may end,” Koziatynskyi wrote on Facebook.

Koziatynskyi called on people to gather at Ivan Franka Square in the capital Kiev to protest the trend of “replacing effective ministers with those who can only nod along.”

“We will never win against Russia if the army and ministries are still dominated by stagnation and corruption like today,” Koziatynskyi said.

Hundreds of protesters then gathered in the square near the Presidential Palace, holding signs that read: “Fedorov is Defense Minister”, “Don’t touch Fedorov”, “Bring Fedorov back”. They also chanted the slogan “Fedorov is Defense Minister”.

Daria Kaleniuk, co-founder and executive director of the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Action Center, also participated in the protest in the square. “I believe that the entire dissolution of the cabinet this time was calculated by Mr. Zelensky mainly to eliminate Fedorov,” she emphasized.

Pavlo Kazarin, sergeant of the 104th Territorial Defense Brigade, said that this decision to dismiss was “completely incomprehensible”. According to Kazarin, each change in leadership of the Ministry of Defense causes the policy-making process to stall for weeks or even longer. Mr. Fedorov is the third person to hold this position in just one year.

“If during Mr. Fedorov’s leadership there were complaints about the performance of the Ministry of Defense, personnel changes would be understandable. But in reality, there were none,” Kazarin said.

Bohdan, a Ukrainian military officer, said that the Ministry of Defense under Fedorov still had some mistakes due to pressure from the generals, but he was the only minister who “really tried to reform the army” with new ideas and correct principles.

What worries Bohdan more is the news that Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, who comes from the national police force, could be appointed to replace Fedorov.

“I can’t imagine a police officer holding the position of Defense Minister. I’m afraid that would bring the situation down,” Bohdan said.

Ukrainian military aviation expert Anatolii Khrapchynskyi said that President Zelensky eliminated the best people and kept the worse ones. “When a capable minister is appointed, begins to carry out reforms and then is quickly dismissed, the psychology of those fighting on the front lines will also be shaken,” Khrapchynskyi warned.

Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Pavlo Elizarov submitted his resignation to protest the decision to dismiss Mr. Fedorov. Elizarov believes that such a move to “change generals in the middle of the stream” will cause a lot of damage to Ukraine on the front line.

President Zelensky has not commented on the protest, nor specifically explained his decision to dismiss Fedorov.

Fedorov, 35, was appointed in January, becoming the youngest Defense Minister in Ukraine’s history, with the task of bringing new impetus to Kiev’s military effort. He was also one of the first to promote the widespread use of drones, weapons that have become a prominent element on the Ukrainian battlefield.

During the six months he held the position of Defense Minister, the Ukrainian army achieved significant achievements, especially in the field of drones, as well as launching a program of deep reform of the armed forces. This makes Fedorov also known as Ukraine’s “drone boss”.

He played an important role in reaching an agreement with technology billionaire Elon Musk to deploy the Starlink satellite Internet service for the Ukrainian military, while limiting the ability of Russian forces to access this system.