Thousands march in Kyiv for reforms in defence sector

Kyiv protest march

A mass march calling for dialogue and reforms in the defence sector took place in central Kyiv on the evening of 31 July. Thousands of people gathered in Taras Shevchenko Park at 19:00, where they observed a minute of silence in honour of fallen soldiers and sang the Ukrainian national anthem.

Addressing the crowd, former serviceman Dmytro Koziatynskyi said the march was for communication, dialogue and reforms, so that Ukraine could emerge stronger. The protesters then moved towards the Franko Theatre, chanting “Fedorov!”, “Power belongs to the people”, “We care” and “You broke it – you fix it”.

Some demonstrators carried a large banner reading “Fedorov MD” (Minister of Defence), demanding that Mykhailo Fedorov be reinstated as defence minister. Other banners featured slogans such as “What’s more important – gravy train or country?”, “Lord, give our government wisdom, preferably today” and “Bring back what works”.

Background

On 28 July, Koziatynskyi, who had previously called for protests against Fedorov’s dismissal, announced the march in Kyiv and invited other cities to join. Protests first began on 16 July in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, with demands to reinstate Fedorov and dismiss Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On 21 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Mykhailo Drapatyi would become the new commander-in-chief.

Koziatynskyi has urged Ukrainians to join an open-ended protest demanding Fedorov’s return to the Ministry of Defence. Zelenskyy previously acknowledged that Fedorov and Syrskyi had failed to find common ground. In an interview on 27 July, the president commented on the personnel decisions, again stressing that he had to resolve problems in cooperation between the army command and the Defence Ministry and ensure unity in addressing key wartime tasks.