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Why were Kyiv protesters still on the streets?
Summary
A look back at the ninth straight day of demonstrations over the removal of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defence, and the military reshuffle that preceded it.
What was driving thousands of people onto the streets of Kyiv as of 26 July 2026? The demonstrations, which demanded the reinstatement of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defence, had by 24 July reached their ninth consecutive day, and they were still continuing in the capital.
The protests followed Fedorov's dismissal. On 21 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As reported at the time, the move came amid protests over the removal of Fedorov, and one report also linked it to demands for Syrskyi's removal.
Zelenskyy named Mykhailo Drapatyi, until then commander of the Joint Forces, as Syrskyi's replacement.
The sequence left two of the country's most senior defence posts changed within days: the commander-in-chief was replaced, while the protesters' central demand, Fedorov's return to the defence ministry, remained unmet by 24 July.
