Eighth day of protests in Kyiv: calls emerge to replace newly appointed new head of Veterans Ministry
Protests demanding the reinstatement of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defence continued in Kyiv on 23 July for the eighth day. A demand to remove newVitalii Kim from the post of Minister of Veterans has also emerged.
Source: Ukrainian public broadcasters Suspilne and hromadske
Details: Suspilne says several hundred people gathered in the capital.
Meanwhile, hromadske reports that participants are also calling for the replacement of newly appointed head of the Ministry of Veterans Vitalii Kim.
Correspondents report that protesters are chanting: "You won't be able to ignore us", "Fedorov! Fedorov! Fedorov!", "We stand and will keep standing", "We'll change or we'll perish", "Power belongs to the people", "Salaries for the military, not MPs" and "An ex-serviceman, not Kim".
Background:
- Since 16 July, protests in support of acting Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov have taken place near the President's Office in Kyiv and in a number of Ukrainian cities. The protesters have been calling on the authorities to reinstate Fedorov in the new government and for Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi to be dismissed.
- Commenting on the upcoming changes at the Defence Ministry, 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.
- Zelenskyy said on 18 July that he had held talks with Fedorov and Syrskyi and promised that "decisions regarding the army will be worked out".
- Syrskyi apologised to Fedorov on 20 July and said he had not been aware of the conflict between them.
- Following six days of protests, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced his decision to dismiss Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and appoint Mykhailo Drapatyi to replace him.
- Ex-serviceman Dmytro Koziatynskyi, who was previously calling on people to protest against the 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.
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