For the fifth day in a row activists with banners and flags protest in opposition to the resignation of Ukrainian Defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov throughout a rally close to the monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko on July 20, 2026 in Lviv, Ukraine.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has moved to oust prime military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, and sought to deliver the nation’s former protection minister again into authorities simply days after dismissing him.
The reshuffle comes after nearly per week of nationwide unrest and represents one of many greatest political crises since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
In a late-night tv deal with, Zelenskyy stated Tuesday that he was appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi as the brand new commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces and thanked the outgoing Syrskyi for taking part in a key function in Kyiv’s protection early within the conflict.
“The operations of Ukraine’s Protection Forces are ongoing and should proceed with out disruption. Ukraine’s long-range sanctions plan and our mid-strike program might be carried out with absolute precision,” Zelenskyy stated, in line with a translation.
Drapatyi thanked Zelenskyy and paid tribute to Syrskyi for his work to strengthen the nation’s armed forces. “I’ll work responsibly, targeted, and with respect for the individuals who defend our state at present,” Drapatyi stated in a Fb put up.
Ukraine’s president additionally stated he held a gathering with former Protection Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and provided him a “worthy management place that may permit him to deliver collectively our nation’s technological capabilities and guarantee their continued improvement.”
Mark Rutte (R), Secretary Basic of NATO, and Mykhailo Fedorov (L), Minister of Defence of Ukraine, stroll to a joint assembly on February 12, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium.
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Fedorov, who’s seen as a preferred determine and an advocate of Ukraine’s drone warfare, was dismissed final week in a shock transfer that triggered protests in a number of Ukrainian cities.
These protests stretched into their fifth consecutive day on Monday, with demonstrators holding placards and waving flags as a part of a push for Zelenskyy to reinstate Fedorov and dismiss Syrskyi.
In a put up on social media, Fedorov congratulated Drapatyi on his appointment as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s army.
“It is a breath of recent air and a brand new supply of hope within the battle of free individuals for freedom and justice. It’s the voice of change that would now not be ignored,” Fedorov stated by way of X.
Having boosted drone manufacturing and capabilities in additional than 4 years of conflict, Ukraine has stepped up its assaults on Russian power infrastructure and army belongings, concentrating on high-profile oil refineries in main cities as a part of a sustained push to lift the financial value of Russia’s battle and weaken Russian forces in southern Ukraine.
Protection specialists and strategists have described Ukraine’s drone marketing campaign as pivotal in serving to to stall Russia’s army momentum, whereas additionally warning that Kyiv’s deep-strike successes have drastically raised the chance of escalation.
