Ukraine faces escalating internal tensions as protesters threaten nationwide demonstrations unless former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov is reinstated and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi is dismissed. President Volodymyr Zelensky is actively working to quell the growing outrage following Fedorov's ouster, a decision that has also sparked outrage among many Ukrainian soldiers.
Over the past week, thousands of Ukrainians have taken to the streets in Kyiv and other cities, demanding Fedorov's return and Syrskyi's removal. Protesters in central Kyiv on Saturday held signs with messages such as 'Fedorov is the defence minister', 'Don't mess with what works', 'Hands off Fedorov', and 'Bring Fedorov back'. Army veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi issued a stark warning via social media, stating that an "open-ended nationwide protest" would commence if Syrskyi is not dismissed and Fedorov reinstated by Friday. No protests are currently scheduled before this deadline, as the country anxiously awaits a resolution.
Amidst the public outcry, Ukrainian media reported over the weekend that President Zelensky was consulting with ministers and generals to address the crisis. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the president's office and a former head of military intelligence, urged citizens to remain calm. Speaking from Ivana Franka Square, near the presidential palace, where angry protesters' calls echoed, Budanov acknowledged, "I understand people who express their position…..The position of society has been heard." He also cautioned against internal divisions, stating, "The enemy is closely monitoring our every internal dispute and is waiting for us to start fighting among ourselves," adding, "The work is under way.
On Monday, the 60-year-old General Syrskyi, usually silent, publicly defended his record against critics in a long op-ed for the Militarny website. He addressed the widely reported rivalry with the 35-year-old Mykhailo Fedorov, expressing surprise at learning of a conflict, despite Zelensky's claim last week that the two men could not even bear to sit in the same room. Syrskyi wrote, "I perceived our relationship as a working one," and offered an apology: "If I offended anyone, Mykhailo Albertovych [Fedorov], I'm sorry."
While avoiding direct personal attacks, Syrskyi's criticism was clearly aimed at Fedorov's approach. He wrote, "Presentations should not turn into self-representations," a thinly veiled reference to Fedorov's detailed news conference last week. Syrskyi emphasized the need for substance, stating, "Behind each slide there should be a document, a budget and a procedure. Otherwise, instead of a decision the army gets disappointment." He concluded, "Decisions on which people's lives depend are not made with slogans. Real work, not the public drama surrounding it, wins the war."
However, many Ukrainians, particularly the younger generation, appear to trust Fedorov's analysis for winning the war over the general's. Fedorov is widely seen as a driving force for innovation in the military, credited, perhaps not always fairly, with a string of military successes during his six months as defence minister. Tetiana Makarenko, a 44-year-old law company employee, articulated this sentiment at a protest, saying, "Right now, the war is changing, so we need new ideas and a new structure.
It's often said that a small Soviet army can't defeat a big Soviet army. It's time to change the mindset and start the new type of war." She added, "We had this feeling because we saw the changing situation. We had the feeling that we can do this."
Syrskyi also countered accusations of a lack of strategy or failure to embrace new technology. He dismissed the "strangest reproach" that he supposedly does not want to fight with drones, highlighting his role in establishing an unmanned systems force as a separate military branch. He clarified the practical challenges, stating, "I cannot transform a million-strong army to drones in two months and say: now we fight like this." Syrskyi affirmed his focus, declaring he was "not at war with the defence ministry but with Russia."
As Syrskyi defends his position, speculation has mounted regarding potential successors should Zelensky decide to replace him. Candidates include Mykhailo Drapatyi, commander of the Joint Forces; Andriy Bilekskyi, commander of the Third Army Corps (46); Oleh Apostol, commander of the Airborne Assault Forces (39); and Ihor Obolenskyi, commander of the National Guard Corps (39). The youngest potential candidate is 35-year-old Brig Gen Denys Prokopenko, another National Guard commander, whose "Azov" Regiment gained near-mythic status during the 2022 siege of Mariupol.
Prokopenko, a former prisoner of war held by Russia, returned to Ukraine in July 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange and quickly resumed command, despite Russian demands for him to remain outside the country.
All these potential replacements are from a much younger generation of officers with distinguished military records. President Zelensky has stated he is "still working out 'what adjustments need to be made to Ukraine's defence strategy'" and has thanked everyone "for their openness, honesty and substantive contributions." With Russia expected to resume attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this autumn, Zelensky emphasized that "Ukraine must enter August as strong as possible." As the protests have fallen silent for now, the country awaits the president's possibly fateful decisions.
More than anyone, Federov is seen by many as driving innovation in the military, gradually improving Ukraine's chances of beating back its numerically superior enemy.
‘Everyone's afraid to die’: Struggle to recruit soldiers in Ukraine turns violent
