In Ukraine, for the second day in a row, mass protests are taking place against the resignation of Mikhail Fedorov, who headed the Ministry of Defense in the government of Yulia Sviridenko, Suspilne reports..

The reason for the rallies was the decision of President Vladimir Zelensky not to nominate Fedorov for a new term.. The protesters demand the return of the ex-minister to his post, the resignation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky, and the return of people's deputies of the Verkhovna Rada from vacation.

Street protests were recorded in Kyiv, Nikolaev, Lutsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Poltava, Ternopil and other cities of the country. Participants advocate maintaining reforms, technologizing the army and introducing accountability for the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In Nikolaev, people gathered at the city council building, after which they marched along the central Sobornaya street, and in Lutsk about 50 citizens joined the morning rally. In the capital, about 200 participants of the so-called “cardboard protest” again took to Ivan Franko Square; in Poltava, local residents organized the third protest in the last two days.

In Kropyvnytskyi, the action took place on the Maidan Heroes Square, gathering almost a hundred people by ten o’clock in the morning. In Ivano-Frankivsk, people gather on the square in front of the administrative building, and in Ternopil, a rally with the participation of about two dozen citizens takes place near the walls of the regional military administration.

Activists hold posters with the inscriptions: “Fedorov is the Minister of Defense”, “Bring back Fedorov”, “and the military will have vacations”, “vacations are a shame”, “the people are the power”, “9:00 is the time of memory, 9:01 is the time of the future” and “no manual control”.

President Vladimir Zelensky for the first time publicly confirmed the existence of a serious conflict between the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky and ex-minister Mikhail Fedorov. The head of state emphasized that this situation is a problem of national scale.

[quote type\u003d" I would really like unity. The parties did not find him. I know their advantages, I know their disadvantages, and I really want them to strengthen Ukraine. But it is what it is. And in such a situation you have a choice: either one side or the other. Because without me they won't reach an agreement, you understand? " [/quote].

The President noted that defense departments must work coherently and independently every day, and called ensuring their coordination his priority.

Mikhail Fedorov himself held a press briefing on July 16, at which he stated that he proposed reforms in all areas of the ministry’s work. He assured that he always appreciated the head of state and never let down either the president or the citizens of Ukraine.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky responded to Fedorov’s statements without direct polemics. He thanked the former minister for his work and wished him to remain on the team.

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[quote type\u003d" And now in this city briefings can take place, visions can be formed, decisions can be made. I will make every effort so that the same events can take place in a free and independent Ukraine,” Syrsky noted, adding that the country now needs to focus on an effective strategy for waging war.. [/quote].

At the same time, parliament tried to hear the position of the military command. People's Deputy from the Servant of the People Igor Krivosheev proposed calling Alexander Syrsky to the Verkhovna Rada so that he would explain his complaints about the work of the Ministry of Defense under the leadership of Fedorov. However, the deputies did not support this decision, gaining only 121 votes out of the required 150.

A petition was registered on the Verkhovna Rada website demanding that Mikhail Fedorov remain as Minister of Defense. The collection of signatures began on July 16, the author of the appeal is Svetlana Sirko. At the moment, the petition has collected more than 2.4 thousand votes out of 25 thousand required for consideration.

The initiators of the appeal note that Fedorov headed the defense department in January 2026 and in a short period of time introduced important technological changes:.

accelerated drone production;

modernized the military procurement system;

began technological renewal of the army.

The text of the petition notes that changing the head of the Ministry of Defense during a period of active hostilities is associated with significant risks for the country's defense capability.

The signatories call on the parliament to block personnel changes in the department and contact the president with a recommendation to keep Fedorov in his position in order to maintain stability in the defense sector. The collection of votes will last until October 16, 2026.