Protests sweep Ukraine after Zelenskyy ousts Fedorov, targets Syrskyi

Thousands of protesters kept up pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy as rallies spread across Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, with demonstrators demanding the removal of Oleksandr Syrskyi and the return of Mykhailo Fedorov after his dismissal in a July government reshuffle. The protests, which reached a fourth day in some places, have turned a personnel shake-up into a public test of wartime leadership and military legitimacy.

In Kyiv, thousands joined the rally, while other demonstrations were held in Lviv and in cities including Dnipro, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Kropyvnytskyi, Lutsk, Cherkasy, Mukachevo, Chernivtsi and Uzhhorod. Protesters have chanted for lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada to get to work and for military speech freedom, sharpening the dispute into a broader complaint about how Ukraine is being run during the war.

The immediate flashpoint was Zelenskyy’s decision last week to part ways with Fedorov, who had served six months in office and had become the youthful face of Ukraine’s drone warfare program. Reports have said Fedorov clashed with Syrskyi over strategy and funding, a rift that now sits at the center of the public backlash.

Syrskyi has served as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces since 8 February 2024, when he replaced Valerii Zaluzhnyi. His role now sits under unusual scrutiny as the protests widen beyond a personnel dispute and into questions about battlefield decision-making, troop morale and how firmly the government can hold the chain of command while Ukraine fights Russia.

The anger has not been confined to civilians. Reports have said members of the armed forces were also upset by Fedorov’s removal, while military leaders have urged calm as the crisis deepens. With the protests still moving through multiple cities, Zelenskyy faces a visible challenge to reassure soldiers, lawmakers and foreign partners that the wartime leadership remains stable.