Protests over Fedorov's removal as defence minister

What happened in Ukraine on 16 July 2026, as a cabinet reshuffle that began two days earlier spilled into the streets? Protests took place in Kyiv and other cities against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to replace defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov with Major-General Yevhenii Khmara.

A reshuffle in three steps

The sequence began on 14 July 2026, when Yuliia Svyrydenko stepped down as prime minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle carried out by Zelenskyy. On 15 July, the president dismissed Fedorov as defence minister, a move that, as reported at the time, provoked protests across Ukraine.

On 16 July the reshuffle moved on again. Zelenskyy initiated the appointment of Serhii Koretskyi as prime minister, filling the post Svyrydenko had left two days earlier.

Protest inside the military

The objections were not confined to the streets. On the same day, Pavlo Yelizarov, deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, resigned from his position in protest at Fedorov's removal. His departure placed the dispute inside the armed forces as well as among demonstrators in Kyiv and other cities.

What the day showed

By the end of 16 July 2026, three developments stood side by side: a new prime minister proposed, a replacement defence minister drawn from the military ranks in Khmara, and public and professional opposition to the change at the defence ministry. The protests were reported in the capital and in other cities, while the resignation of a senior Air Force officer gave the disagreement an institutional face.

The reshuffle thus touched both of the government's most senior posts within three days: the premiership on 14 July and the defence portfolio on 15 July, with the proposed new prime minister following on 16 July.