Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The protesters are unhappy with the dismissal of the popular minister of defense.
Under the shadow of martial law, thousands of demonstrators gathered in central Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on Thursday.
They came to object to the looming departure of the popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
The tech-focused, now-former minister of defense rapidly changed how the Ukrainian armed forces fight against the Russian invaders. He was also the man behind getting Russia cut off from the Starlink network and oversaw significant improvements in drone combat capabilities.
Following his ousting, some have speculated that tensions between Fedorov and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, were the reason.
However, nothing has been confirmed, with Fedorov himself telling reporters that he had declined an offer to become an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy: “This is the most important thing”
Despite the high-stakes conflict engulfing the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended the public’s right to gather.
Speaking at a press conference alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the president supported the rally. “As for the people who came out, we are fighting for freedom and democracy. Therefore, people are doing what they want. They wanted to come out, and rightly so. We can act in such a way that even during a war, with all the difficulties and restrictions, people can demonstrate their will,” Zelenskyy said, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
For Zelenskyy, “this is the most important thing.” He insisted that he is listening. “That’s why I understand, hear, and even respond. Even to some things that I wouldn’t want to delve into in such detail,” he added.
Secrets of war
Behind the scenes, wartime secrecy limits how much the state can share. Zelenskyy explained that he cannot disclose all information publicly. This silence is not intended to hide secrets from Ukrainian society, but rather to keep vital plans away from the Russian military.
Meanwhile, the outgoing defense minister had his own take on the situation. Fedorov insisted that the crowds did not gather for him as an individual. They simply wanted to protect their hard-won military momentum.
“Today we see that the Ukrainian people came out. But the Ukrainian people did not come out for a specific Minister Fedorov. The Ukrainian people came out for themselves. Why? The hopes that appeared, and the interception of the initiative on the battlefield in the sky—why is this trajectory now breaking, and why are we turning away from it? There is such a risk,” Fedorov said.
