Ukraine faces political crisis as thousands protest defence minister's removal

Thousands of Ukrainians demonstrated in Kyiv and other cities on Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved to replace Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, triggering one of the biggest political crises of his wartime presidency and exposing a rare public rift within Ukraine's military leadership.

More than 1,000 protesters gathered outside Zelenskyy's office in Kyiv, chanting 'Shame!' and carrying placards reading 'For what?' and 'The Russians are celebrating', news agency Reuters reported. Similar demonstrations occurred in Dnipro, Odesa and other cities, marking one of the largest public protests since last year's anti-corruption demonstrations.

The unrest comes at a critical stage of the war, with Ukraine facing relentless Russian missile attacks even as its military has gained momentum through long-range drone strikes targeting Russia's logistics and energy infrastructure. Overnight, Russian missile strikes on Kyiv killed two people and injured five others, including a child, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Fedorov, 35, is widely regarded as one of Ukraine's leading modernisers. Before taking over the Defence Ministry earlier this year, he served as minister for digital transformation, helping build Ukraine's e-governance platforms and spearheading the country's drone warfare programme, the Associated Press reported. During his six months as defence minister, he accelerated drone procurement, pushed technology-driven reforms and sought to modernise defence purchasing. Western officials have credited those efforts with improving Ukraine's battlefield performance.

Hours after his dismissal became public, Fedorov revealed he had rejected an offer from Zelenskyy to serve as a presidential adviser and launched an unusually direct attack on Ukraine's commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi. 'Instead of working out how to defeat Russia ... he has figured out how to split the country,' Fedorov told reporters, accusing Syrskyi of blocking ministry reforms and failing to resolve internal disputes, Reuters reported.

Syrskyi responded by urging officials to remain focused on the war, while appearing to mock Fedorov's criticism. 'And now in this city, briefings can be held, visions can be developed, and decisions can be made,' the general said, referring to Kyiv's security after Russia's failed attempt to seize the capital in 2022.

Asked about the dispute, Zelenskyy declined to side with either man. 'The president is not supposed to pick sides in this kind of situation during wartime,' he said. 'I would very much like unity. The sides did not find it.'

The political turmoil deepened after Pavlo Yelizarov, deputy commander of Ukraine's Air Force and a senior figure in the country's drone warfare programme, resigned in protest, adding to the sense of crisis within the military leadership.