For a second consecutive day, residents of several Ukrainian cities have taken to the streets after the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov from the post of defense minister. Ukrainska Pravda and Suspilne reported this.
According to their correspondents, demonstrations are being held in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Ternopil, Poltava, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Ivano-Frankivsk, as well as other cities.
In Kyiv, as on the previous day, people gathered in Franko Square near the Office of the President. Protesters chanted “Bring Fedorov back,” “Down with Syrskyi,” “Glory to Ukraine,” and “Death to enemies,” and also sang the Ukrainian national anthem.
According to estimates by Interfax-Ukraine, at least 10,000 people are taking part in the rally in the capital. A correspondent for the agency said the square, the nearby park area, the roadway, and sections of Olhynska, Hrushevskoho, and Stupky streets were filled with demonstrators.
The first rallies in support of the former minister began on July 16, immediately after his dismissal. At that time, chants in Kyiv included “Bring Fedorov back!”, “Shame!”, and “Syrskyi must resign!”
Amid these events, Colonel Pavlo Yelizarov submitted his resignation from the post of deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force. He directly linked his decision to Fedorov’s removal, calling it “a great evil for the country’s defense potential”.
As the report notes, the cabinet of Yuliia Svyrydenko had been in office for only a year before Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed both the government and Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.