Zelensky's decision to remove Fedorov sparks fury: street protest announced

UKRAINE - In Brief 16 Jul 2026 by Dmytro Boyarchuk

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As speculation over the removal of the Svyrydenko Cabinet built through the week, the consensus among Kyiv insiders converged to the point that the real target of the whole maneuver was to remove Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. The wider cabinet reshuffle, among other things, allowed for addressing several other issues, such as removing a minister who was expected to receive a notice of suspicion from NABU. But still, Fedorov was the main driver of such an abrupt change of the Cabinet. The public reaction has been furious. Fedorov is closely associated with Ukraine's drone-production breakthrough, the cutoff of Russian access to Starlink, the current technological edge on the battlefield, and the campaign to choke off Russian logistics in Crimea and along the front — achievements that gave many Ukrainians a tangible sense that victory was possible and made him one of the most popular figures in government. War veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi, who led last summer's mass protests against curbs on Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies, has called for a new rally at the same Kyiv square this morning at 9:01 a.m., framed as a message to the president against "constant reshuffles" and the replacement of effective officials with more convenient ones. Whatever the protests achieve, the decision already looks costly for Zelensky personally: a self-inflicted wound to the one claim that had remained largely unchallenged — his government's ability to keep delivering results against Russia. Is Zelensky really removing a political rival? Almost certainly, yes. Eight years into his presidency, the checks that once constrained the executive have long since eroded, and the president's gove...