Kyiv protests over Fedorov's dismissal: what 25 July 2026 showed
A look back at a period of street pressure in Kyiv and a change at the top of Ukraine's armed forces.
What did the protests in Kyiv amount to by 25 July 2026? The latest report from the preceding day, 24 July, described the ninth consecutive day of demonstrations, with thousands demanding that Mykhailo Fedorov be reinstated as Minister of Defence.
The pressure did not stay confined to the street. On 21 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi, until then commander of the Joint Forces, as the replacement. As reported at the time, the decision came amid protests over Fedorov's removal, and one account tied the dismissal to protesters' demands for Syrskyi's removal.
Two separate demands
The reports point to two overlapping strands. One was the call to bring back Fedorov. The other was a call for Syrskyi to go. The president's move on 21 July met the second demand, at least in form, by changing the military leadership.
The demonstrations nevertheless continued after that date. By 24 July, protesters were still in Kyiv and still asking for Fedorov's return, so the leadership change at the top of the army had not ended the demand about the defence ministry.
What it meant
The episode showed a public that stayed mobilised for more than a week over a ministerial dismissal, and a presidential decision taken while those protests were under way. Whether Fedorov would return was still unresolved on 25 July 2026.
