Hundreds protest in Kyiv over Zelenskyy’s dismissal of defence minister 

Hundreds of people have gathered near the Ivan Franko National Theatre in central Kyiv to protest against the dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, as parliament elects a new prime minister amid a controversial cabinet reshuffle.

According to local media reports, protests also took place in several other cities on Thursday, including Lviv, Odesa and Dnipro, while in Kyiv, protesters chanted “Shame!” and carried placards reading “The Russians are celebrating”.

The theatre is close to the presidential office, the site of last July’s so-called “cardboard protest”, when public pressure prompted Zelenskyy to reverse a widely criticised measure that stripped Ukraine’s anticorruption agencies of their independence.

Writing on X, Fedorov said it had been “a great honour to serve the Ukrainian people” as the minister of defence, before outlining what he described as the ministry’s key achievements during his tenure, including disabling “Starlink access for Russian forces” and launching programmes to expand Ukraine’s domestic drone production amid the ongoing war with Moscow.

The 35-year-old technology specialist, who previously served as Ukraine’s first minister for digital transformation, has been credited with streamlining bureaucracy and introducing a more data-driven approach to the war against Russia.

Supporters say his efforts to reform defence procurement and tackle corruption won him enemies within parts of the political and military establishment. However, critics say he failed to deliver quickly enough on promises to overhaul military recruitment.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he wanted the Ministry of Defence and military leadership to work with greater unity, appearing to acknowledge reports of tensions between Fedorov and other officials.

The demonstrations came as Ukraine’s parliament approved a new wartime government on Thursday following Fedorov’s departure as defence minister.

The move forms part of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s second cabinet reshuffle in a year. Lawmakers confirmed Naftogaz chief Sergiy Koretsky as Ukraine’s new prime minister, replacing Yulia Svyrydenko, while Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko is widely expected to take over as defence minister.

Koretsky headed Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned energy company, through last winter, when repeated Russian drone and missile attacks on energy infrastructure triggered widespread power cuts and heating outages during freezing temperatures.

Before joining the state energy sector, Koretsky built his career in Ukraine’s private fuel industry, leading the WOG petrol station network and founding the Idealist Coffee Co. chain. He later headed the state-owned energy firms Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta between 2022 and 2025 before taking charge of Naftogaz.

Writing on X after his appointment, Koretsky said his “foremost task is to fully equip Ukraine’s Defense Forces and accelerate the expansion of our defense industrial base”.

“We will continue to give special attention to frontline communities that endure Russian attacks every day,” he said, adding that Ukraine’s strategic goal of European Union membership “remains unchanged”.