Mass protests are taking place in Kyiv, Ukraine, for the second consecutive day after the resignation of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Participants demand his reinstatement and also call for a change in the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing DW.
The mass actions in the center of the Ukrainian capital continued on Friday, July 17. In the morning, hundreds of people gathered at Ivan Franko Square, but by evening the number of protesters had grown significantly. As a result, people filled not only the square but also the adjacent streets.
During the rally, protesters chanted slogans, sang the Ukrainian national anthem and patriotic songs. State flags of Ukraine, flags of the European Union, and red-and-black flags of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) were raised over the square.
While on the first day of protests the main demand was the return of Mykhailo Fedorov to the post of defense minister, now participants also call for the dismissal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Instead, they propose appointing General Mykhailo Drapatyi.
According to DW, by the second day of protests, more servicemen and veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war had joined the demonstrators. Many of them consider Mykhailo Fedorov one of the most effective heads of the defense ministry in recent years and associate him with reforms and modernization of the Ukrainian army.
Some servicemen also reported problems with the distribution of weapons and drones among units. According to them, some units receive more equipment than they can use, while others have to turn to volunteers for help.
The organizers of the action stated that they do not intend to stop the protests and plan to continue them in the coming days.