Protesters greet Khmara's appointment as defence minister with chants of "Shame" and vow to continue protests – photos
Activists protesting in Kyiv in support of Mykhailo Fedorov's reinstatement as defence minister have reacted negatively to the news of Yevhenii Khmara's appointment as head of the Defence Ministry.
Source: Ukrinform reporters from the scene
Details: The protesters started chanting "Shame!" and beating drums.
Following the news of Khmara's appointment as defence minister, the protesters announced that they were ending the protest for the day and called on people to come to Ivan Franko Square at 19:00 on Wednesday. They said they plan to hold such protests every day at 19:00.
The protesters also said that although they feel uncomfortable saying it, the position "should belong to someone else". "We have a lot of respect for Khmara, but please don't hide behind Khmara," Ukrinform quoted the activists as saying.
They chanted slogans such as "We demand dialogue", "Don't destroy our future", "Dialogue, not ignoring us", "Fedorov not Khmara", "The people are the government", "Don't lead us to defeat", and "Power is responsibility". The protesters stressed that there has been no dialogue between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the public.
Some of them held cardboard signs reading "Bring back Fedorov", "No to Khmara", and "Thank you for Drapatyi, bring back Fedorov", among others.
Previously: On 19 August, the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) appointed Yevhenii Khmara, the former acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine, as Ukraine's new defence minister with 312 votes.
Background:
- On 12 July, Zelenskyy announced a Cabinet reshuffle and changes to the heads of law enforcement agencies. On 14 July, the Verkhovna Rada approved Yuliia Svyrydenko's resignation as prime minister, a decision which entailed the resignation of the entire government.
- Public discontent has grown over what many regard as the unjustified dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Since 16 July, protests have been held in cities across Ukraine calling for him to be reinstated.
- Zelenskyy offered Fedorov a number of other posts, but he turned them down, saying he wanted to focus his efforts on continuing the reform of the Defence Ministry.
- In an address on 18 August, Fedorov called for measures to ensure that Russia does not get to decide when Ukrainians can once again elect their government.
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