Ukraine's Zelenskyy faces backlash after sacking defence minister sparks rallies

Rallies in support of sacked Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov have emerged in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy removed him from the post. The dismissal has quickly become a political problem for the president, with analysts saying it comes at a time when his ratings are falling. The episode has also drawn attention to tensions inside Ukraine's wartime leadership over military reform and command structure.

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Fedorov was appointed in January and served for seven months before being removed on Wednesday. According to the reporting, he had no military background or battlefield experience, but had built a reputation as a reformer in his previous role as minister of digital transformation. In the defence ministry, his responsibilities included logistics, budgets, reforms, anti-corruption measures and efforts to secure multibillion-dollar Western aid or loans.

The dispute appears to centre on Fedorov's attempts to change how the military is run. He reportedly presented Zelenskyy with a list of urgent problems, including what he described as a chaotic management system, frequent rotations of commanding officers, non-transparent distribution of arms and military equipment, bureaucracy and decision-making based on loyalty rather than data analysis. He also pointed to resistance from the General Staff led by Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii, and said effective commanders and reform-minded officers were being isolated.

The backlash matters because it touches on how Ukraine manages its armed forces during a full-scale war. Military reform, transparency and logistics are not only administrative issues but also questions of battlefield effectiveness and public trust. The reaction to Fedorov's removal suggests that some Ukrainians see the dispute as more than an internal personnel change, and as a test of whether Zelenskyy can balance wartime discipline with demands for reform.

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The row also highlights the role of Syrskii, who remains central to combat planning and operations. The reporting says he is a 60-year-old four-star general who won praise for defending Kyiv and helping expel Russian forces from northeastern Ukraine in 2022. At the same time, he has also faced criticism over reported indifference to soldiers' losses, underlining the divided views surrounding Ukraine's military leadership.

Fedorov's supporters have framed him as a capable reformer rather than a traditional defence official. One protester in central Kyiv described him as young, smart, educated and honest, and said she would like to see him as Ukraine's president. Such comments suggest the dismissal has taken on a broader political meaning, with some demonstrators treating Fedorov as a symbol of cleaner and more effective governance.

The protests are notable because they are described as relatively large by wartime Ukraine's standards. That makes the reaction unusual in a country where public life has been heavily shaped by the war and by the need for national unity. The visible support for a dismissed minister also raises questions about whether the episode could deepen tensions between the presidency, the military command and reform-minded parts of society.

What remains unclear is how far the political fallout will spread and whether Zelenskyy will face further pressure over the decision. It is also not yet clear whether the protests will grow or whether the government will respond with any change in policy or personnel. For now, the episode stands as a test of Zelenskyy's authority, his reform agenda and the public mood in wartime Ukraine.

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