Kyiv citizens urged to continue protest for return of former defence minister Fedorov
Veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi, who previously called on people to protest against then commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, has urged Ukrainians to join a protest in Kyiv on 24 July demanding that Mykhailo Fedorov be reinstated as defence minister.
Source: Koziatynskyi on Facebook
Quote: "We should not forget the protest's second demand – to return Mykhailo Fedorov to the post of defence minister. The ministry needs reforms, and with Syrskyi's dismissal, the conflict between the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff has disappeared, so I see no reason why Fedorov should not be reinstated.
We must do everything possible to ensure that the authorities hear and meet all of society's demands.
I therefore urge everyone to gather on Ivan Franko Square in Kyiv, and in the central squares of other Ukrainian cities, at 10:00 on Friday 24 July to begin an open-ended protest."
Details: Koziatynskyi said protesters will gather every day and continue demonstrating for as long as necessary until the authorities respond to the public demands.
He added that he had already submitted a notification to the Kyiv City State Administration about the planned protest on 24 July.
Following the wave of protests in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, Alina Mykhailova, head of the medical service of the Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, a Kyiv City Council deputy and public activist, said she had received calls from the Unmanned Systems Forces Command asking where Koziatynskyi, who has called for protests against Fedorov's dismissal as defence minister, is currently serving.
Background:
- On 16 July, protests in support of Fedorov took place near the President's Office in Kyiv and in a number of Ukrainian cities. The protesters called on the authorities to reinstate Fedorov in the new government.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that Fedorov and Syrskyi had been unable to work together effectively and that problems on the battlefield, in military brigades and with mobilisation remain unresolved.
- On 22 July, Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi was appointed commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces after Syrskyi was dismissed.
- On 16 July, Zelenskyy said he would propose the appointment of Yevhenii Khmara as defence minister to parliament. Khmara will now carry out the duties of Ukraine's defence minister on the president's instruction.
- According to Ukrainska Pravda sources, Zelenskyy offered Fedorov several alternative government positions, including deputy prime minister for technological development, but Fedorov opposed the proposals because he does not understand why he was dismissed from the Ministry of Defence.
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