Kyiv Protests Demand Army Chief Removal After Zelenskyy Sacks Defense Minister

Demonstrators outside the presidential office in Kyiv chanted “Syrskyi out” and waved cheese graters in a pun on commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi’s name during five days of protests that began last Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed defense minister Mykhailo Federov, who is 35 and served six months in the post.

Ukraine’s general staff stated on Monday that Syrskyi and his deputy Andriy Hnatov continued to carry out their duties. Dismissal from the posts takes place on the basis of a decree by the president, the staff said.

Kyrylo Budanov stated that the position of society has been heard and the situation was being resolved professionally and constructively. He added that the enemy is closely watching every internal dispute and waiting for fighting among themselves, with work under way and results to follow.

Zelenskyy confirmed last week that the relationship between Federov and Syrskyi had broken down. Federov stated that Syrskyi had blocked reforms with bureaucratic impediments and ignored data, instead rewarding brigades loyal to him personally. On Monday Zelenskyy held meetings with several possible replacements for Syrskyi, including Mykhailo Drapatiy, who drove a tank through a pro-Russian blockade in Mariupol in 2014.

The newly appointed defense minister Yevheniy Khmara attended the meetings with top military figures. Protest organizers set a deadline of Friday for Zelenskyy to reinstate Federov or face a general indefinite protest across the country.

Zelenskyy stated that recent long-range Ukrainian strikes hit targets more than 400 km from the border, including logistics facilities, an oil depot, two shadow fleet tankers, and four cargo ships in the Black Sea.