Protests over defense minister’s dismissal spread across 14 Ukrainian cities

MOSCOW, July 16. /TASS/. Protests over the dismissal of Defense Minister Mikhail Fyodorov have spread to 14 Ukrainian cities, with hundreds of people taking to the streets, according to TASS estimates.

Protests have been underway since Thursday morning in the capital, Kiev, as well as in Kharkov, Zhitomir, Odessa, Lvov, Dnepropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankovsk, Krivoy Rog, Nikolayev, Lutsk, Poltava, Ternopol, Chernigov and Zaporozhye, which is currently controlled by the Ukrainian authorities.

The largest rally is taking place in Kiev, where hundreds have gathered near the government quarter. Given the developments, Verkhovna Rada (parliament) member Alexey Goncharenko (designated in Russia as a terrorist and extremist) said that the parliamentary vote on a new defense minister may be delayed.

News came on Wednesday that Vladimir Zelensky plans to dismiss Fyodorov over his differences with the country’s top brass, namely Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky. Fyodorov, who was appointed Ukraine’s defense minister in January 2026, focused on the development of unmanned forces. He also pledged to reform territorial recruitment centers but failed to do so during his six months in office.

According to the Ukrainska Pravda news outlet, Fyodorov enjoys the backing of Western countries and the Ukrainian structures they control, which organized nationwide protests against restrictions on the powers of anti-corruption agencies a year ago.