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Thousands of people demonstrated in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Friday to demand the reinstatement of Mykhailo Fedorov, the young and tech-savvy defense minister who was dismissed two weeks ago.
Fedorov was appointed in January with a mandate to modernize and digitize the Ukrainian military. He was removed after months of behind-the-scenes clashes with army command, whom he accused of resisting his push for change.
His removal triggered a wave of protests that pushed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to also replace the army’s commander, Oleksandr Syrsky, seen as Fedorov’s rival.
"We've already seen examples of protests that lasted more than a month, so we can achieve this," said Iryna Tkatchouk, 38, to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Several thousand people marched through central Kyiv on Friday evening, chanting Fedorov's name and calling, "Bring him back!" Other chants included "We must change or perish" and “Why do I need a government that does not hear me? ""The longer you stay silent, the louder we stand,” and “The authorities do not see, do not hear, do not speak.”
An air-raid siren sounded during the march, but very few people reacted, even though the organizers had warned that the event would be cancelled in case of an alert and the threat of Russian bombings.
Fedorov has repeatedly stated that he would only return as defense minister.
In an interview with the online outlet Ukrainska Pravda this week, he said his push to make the army's procurement system more transparent had “made a lot of people unhappy,” hinting this may have led to his dismissal.
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