Ukrainian lawmakers will vote on a new wartime government on Thursday amid popular protests over the dismissal of reformist Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov at a critical point in Kyiv’s conflict with Moscow.
Protests Erupt in Kyiv
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s second cabinet shake-up in a year has focused public anger over his exclusion of Fedorov, a 35-year-old tech expert who has aimed to reshape Kyiv’s outmanned army into a more efficient fighting force.
A proposed new government under energy executive Sergii Koretskyi would see current Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko replace Fedorov, lawmakers said, a move that has rattled faith in Zelenskiy’s wartime leadership.
Fedorov confirmed on X late on Wednesday that his tenure was ending, but Zelenskiy has not yet publicly commented on the move.
Ukraine is in its best battlefield position since late 2022, striking Russia’s oil sector and military logistics in drone and missile attacks that have weakened Moscow’s war machine.
In Kyiv, more than a thousand protesters rallied outside Zelenskiy’s office to chants of “Shame!” and carrying placards with phrases like, “The Russians are celebrating”.
Pavlo Yelizarov, a deputy commander of Ukraine’s air force and a key leader in drone warfare, announced his resignation on Thursday in response to Fedorov’s dismissal — calling it “a great evil” for Ukraine’s defence.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
