Ukrainians are back in the streets for a second day, demanding the return of a defense minister they say made the war machine work better.

Quick Take

• Protesters in Kyiv and other cities want Mykhailo Fedorov reinstated after his removal.
• Reports say the unrest spread across several Ukrainian cities and continued into a second day.
• Fedorov’s supporters credit him with drone reforms, Starlink changes, and faster military procurement.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the split with General Oleksandr Syrskyi drove the decision.

Why the protests erupted

Demonstrators returned to central Kyiv and other cities after Fedorov was removed in a sweeping shake-up. Local and international reports said people wanted him restored and pressed for clearer answers from the government. The protests matter because they show rare public anger during wartime. They also show a deep split between reform-minded Ukrainians and the old military chain of command.

Several reports describe Fedorov as a key figure in Ukraine’s drone war effort. Supporters say he pushed a drone-centered strategy, helped limit Russian use of Starlink terminals, and backed a procurement model built around battle-tested systems. They also say he helped speed up strikes inside Russia and improve battlefield logistics. For readers who want simple terms, his allies see him as a tech-first fixer who cut waste and boosted frontline results.

What Fedorov says he changed

Fedorov’s own account, echoed by multiple reports, says his team redirected money toward drones, missile work, and other battlefield tools. Those reports also say his changes helped Ukraine buy more drones, improve interception rates, and push new defense contracts through faster. That is why many protesters treat his removal as more than a personnel move. To them, it looks like a setback for reform and a win for the military bureaucracy.

Supporters also point to his role in changing how Ukraine uses private industry. Reports say he backed Brave1, a defense-tech platform meant to connect the military with startups building drones and artificial intelligence tools. Other accounts say he pressed for better use of domestic production and tighter control over spending. In plain language, his backers argue he made Ukraine’s defense system faster, leaner, and less tied to old Soviet habits.

Zelenskyy’s justification and the split with Syrskyi

Zelenskyy said the dismissal came after Fedorov and General Syrskyi could not work together. Reports of his remarks said he blamed unresolved mobilization and front-line problems, and described the choice as a hard wartime decision. That explanation puts the conflict inside the military hierarchy, not on the street. But it also leaves a bigger question for many Ukrainians: why was a popular reformer forced out instead of the clash being fixed?

The public backlash has already spilled into the military ranks. One report said Colonel Pavlo Yelizarov resigned as deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force and tied that move directly to the dismissal. That kind of protest is not routine. It suggests the issue goes beyond one minister and reaches into morale, trust, and the struggle over who should shape Ukraine’s war strategy. For many on the right, that is the real warning sign.

Ukrainian cities showed no signs of cooling down on the second day of protests

This video is from Kyiv

Thousands of people took to the streets demanding the resignation of Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi and the reinstatement of Fedorov as Minister of Defense

Syrskyi is criticized… pic.twitter.com/Wi0g851WB5

— Smaliy (@smaaaliy) July 18, 2026

The wider picture is a fight over whether wartime Ukraine should keep moving toward modern, transparent defense systems or fall back on entrenched command habits. Reports describe Fedorov as a reformer who challenged old procurement patterns and gave battlefield units more useful tools. His critics say leadership unity matters more. Both points matter, but the street protests show many Ukrainians believe the country cannot afford to lose the man they credit with real battlefield gains.

Sources:

youtube.com, bbc.com, dw.com, lemonde.fr, theglobeandmail.com, kyivindependent.com