Protesters in Kyiv called for the dismissal of Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s removal of a popular defence minister sparked outrage and demands for a more modern approach to warfare.Several thousand people gathered outside the presidential office for a second day after Mykhailo Fedorov, a 35-year-old tech wizard who has been partly credited with Ukraine’s recent successes in the war with Russia, was not reappointed in a surprise government reshuffle.
A 27-year-old protester named Andriy, a combat medic who lost his lower limb, came with a cardboard sign saying: “Can not stand. Will not stay silent”.”Syrskyi had conflicts not only with the defence minister, but also with brigade and corps commanders. If he stays, we will simply be ineffective,” said Andriy, whose brother died on the battlefield.”We could simply lose this war, we could lose,” he added.
Zelenskiy provided little explanation for the reshuffle and said he had to step in since the rift between Syrskyi and Fedorov was so deep they won’t sit at one table.On Friday, he tapped Ukraine’s former top cop, Ihor Klymenko, to lead the national security and defence council, replacing current Chairman Rustem Umerov.Klymenko, who had initially been among the names as a likely Fedorov replacement, would be tasked with coordinating “all components of the security and defence sector”, including defence production, president added.
