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Protesters gathered in central Kyiv’s Ivan Franko Square and other locations across the country on Thursday as news spread of the surprise removal of Mykhailo Fedorov from his post as defence minister according to Arab News. More than 1 000 demonstrators in the capital sang the national anthem waved Ukrainian and European Union flags and chanted slogans including “shame” and “bring Fedorov back” while holding signs that read “Hands off Fedorov” and “Fedorov is defence minister” the news outlet reported. Euromaidan Press placed the total number of protest sites at 17 including Lviv Odesa and Dnipro where mostly young people and students turned out to voice their anger over the decision that had not been explained by Zelensky or his office.
The dismissal which comes six months after Fedorov’s appointment on January 14 2026 has triggered widespread backlash within military circles and civil society a Facebook post by the former minister himself indicated. MPs were scheduled to vote later on Thursday on naming Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko as the replacement according to France 24. Speculation about the reasons has centred on reported tensions between Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi as well as the pace of reforms to the mobilisation system the Financial Times noted in its coverage of the growing protests.
Fedorov previously served as minister of digital transformation and played a key role in establishing the IT Army of Ukraine shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 according to his official biography on the defence ministry website. As defence minister he drove forward the Army of Drones initiative introduced gamification elements to reward units for destroying Russian assets and successfully lobbied SpaceX founder Elon Musk to disrupt Russian use of Starlink satellites the ministry’s records show. In a post on Facebook following his sacking Fedorov highlighted these efforts and pledged to continue focusing on asymmetry speed of innovation and organisational strength in defeating the enemy.
The defence ministry under Fedorov developed an AIR LAND ECONOMY strategy that targeted a 95 percent interception rate for aerial threats and doubled the daily construction rate of anti-drone nets along highways to 8.5 kilometres between February and April 2026 resulting in more than 1 170 kilometres of protected logistic routes Wikipedia’s entry on the minister citing official data states. The strategy also aimed to inflict at least 200 enemy casualties for every square kilometre of territory lost while accelerating production of low-cost interceptors against Shahed drones ahead of the autumn-winter period. An Economist article published three days before the dismissal had already highlighted friction between the reform-minded minister and more traditional generals over the pace of change in drone procurement and frontline operations.
Prominent Ukrainian blogger Serhii Sternenko whom Fedorov had appointed as an adviser described him as the best minister of defence in the country’s history and criticised bureaucratic obstacles that had slowed deeper reforms according to coverage by multiple outlets including the BBC. Drone unit commander Pavlo Yelizarov resigned from his position as deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force in direct protest at the sacking calling it a great evil for the country’s defence capability Euromaidan Press reported. One protester told Arab News that after Thursday’s rallies Zelensky might reconsider the move adding the hope that public pressure would lead to a reversal.
A Ukrainian soldier identified only as Oleksandr who joined the army earlier this year because of his trust in Fedorov’s approach told reporters that the decision represented the worst mistake of Zelensky’s presidency and that neither the military nor society supported it. Maria Lavrynets a 31-year-old protester in Kyiv echoed those sentiments by pointing to visible improvements in soldier motivation and results under Fedorov’s leadership. The events unfold against the backdrop of a prolonged conflict in which Ukraine has relied heavily on technological innovation to offset numerical disadvantages as detailed in reports from the Economist and the defence ministry.
