The protest wave in the Ukrainian capital has entered its 25th consecutive day.
Thousands of citizens, volunteers and veterans continue their indefinite demonstrations on “Ivan Franko“ Square in Kiev and in a number of other major cities, demanding the immediate return of Mikhailo Fyodorov to the post of Minister of Defense.
Tensions escalated over the past weekend after it became clear that law enforcement agencies had detained Vitaly Kamka - the administrator of one of the main Telegram channels coordinating the protest actions under the slogan “Protest“, reports the ZMINA Human Rights Center (https://nv.ua/ukraine/events/telegram-chat-dlya-koordinacii-protestov-protiv-uvolneniya-fedorova-ischez-administratora-zaderzhali-50631048.html). Ukrainian media sources added that the chat was immediately deleted, sparking further anger and accusations of censorship among protesters.
The political crisis in the country began on July 15, 2026, when President Volodymyr Zelensky announced large-scale reshuffles in the cabinet of the new Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky and removed 35-year-old Fyodorov, considered the architect of modern Ukrainian digital and drone warfare. The head of state justified his decision with a serious breakdown in communication and a lack of unanimity between the Ministry of Defense and the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Gen. Alexander Syrsky, recalls the authoritative publication The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/17/zelenskyy-defends-sacking-ukraine-defence-minister-mykhailo-fedorov).
In an attempt to calm the streets, after the first week of stormy “cardboard protests“, Zelensky partially fulfilled the demands of the discontented, by dismissing Gen. Syrsky and appointing in his place the popular among the army Major General Mykhailo Drapati, reports the Ukrainian UNIAN agency through its Ukrainska Pravda platform (https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/07/22/8045359/). General Evgeniy Khmara.
Despite these changes, civil discontent refuses to subside. The protesters, organized by public figures and veterans such as Dmytro Kozyatinsky, categorically reject the compromise options proposed by the president, in which Fyodorov would become Deputy Prime Minister for Technological Development. As reported by the Bulgarian information portal FAKTI (https://fakti.bg/world/1069964-bezsrochen-protest-v-kiev-iskat-vrashtaneto-na-fedorov), the demonstrators are categorical that they will not end their indefinite demonstrations until Mikhail Fyodorov is fully restored to the position of head of the military department.