From Rivne to Zaporizhzhia: A wave of rallies in support of Fedorov swept across Ukraine
Фото: Reuters
On Thursday, July 16, rallies were held in several Ukrainian cities in support of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. People took to the streets after the decision to dismiss him, calling on the authorities to reconsider the personnel changes.
This is reported by Censor.NET.
Rallies were held, in particular, in Kyiv, Sumy, Dnipro, Lviv, Odessa, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy, Zaporizhia, Lutsk and other cities.
About fifty people gathered at Teatralna Square in Rivne . The participants stated that the action was exclusively peaceful and was intended to support the military, who advocate for transparent defense procurement and the continued digitalization of the army.
About 300 people took part in the protest in Dnipro . Before the event, participants honored the memory of the fallen defenders with a minute of silence, after which they unfurled national flags and posters in support of Fedorov.
Among the slogans that were heard during the action: “Zelensky, come to your senses – Mykhailo, come back”, “Don’t break what works”, “Moscow residents are delighted, but we are not.”
In Ivano-Frankivsk, several hundred people also gathered near the regional military administration building. Protesters chanted: “Change or perish,” “Exchange prisoners, not Fedorov,” and “The government is the people.”
In Cherkasy, participants of the action took to Cathedral Square with posters reading “The wrong one should resign”, “For a worthy reform of the army” and shouting “Cherkasy for Fedorov”.
A protest also took place in Zaporizhia . Its participants stated that they considered the authorities’ personnel decisions erroneous, and that Fedorov himself was an important figure for the country’s defense capability and the development of front-line regions.
“Mikhail, Zaporizhzhia is with you!” the crowd chanted. They also held posters calling for Fedorov to remain in office and not to destroy the reforms he initiated.
In Lutsk, people gathered on Teatralny Maidan. The posters read “Ukraine needs results, not personnel games,” “It works — don’t touch it,” and other appeals against personnel reshuffles.
Protests in support of Fedorov are continuing in other cities in Ukraine. Participants emphasize that they are in favor of preserving defense reforms and the digitalization of the military.
It should be noted that the editorial staff of the English-language publication UNITED24 Media also joined the protests. The journalists announced a temporary suspension of the editorial staff’s work in protest against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov.
As a reminder, President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to dismiss Mykhailo Fedorov from the position of Minister of Defense due to a long-standing conflict with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky.
As reported, Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defense and Space, called the resignation of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense of Ukraine a “big surprise.”
By the way, the European Solidarity faction called on the candidate for the post of Prime Minister, Serhiy Koretsky, to return Mykhailo Fedorov to the new government and entrust him with security and defense issues.
In addition, Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Pavlo Yelizarov submitted a report on his resignation. He explained his decision by the possible resignation of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and stated the risk of curtailing reforms in the field of air defense.
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