Thousands Rally Across Ukraine for Third Day Demanding Fedorov’s Return

Large crowds gathered in Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities on July 18 for a third consecutive day of protests against the dismissal of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

More than 1,000 people assembled near Kyiv’s Ivan Franko National Theater by the evening. Although the main rally was announced for 8 p.m., protesters began arriving several hours earlier. Many demanded that Fedorov be reinstated and Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi dismissed.

As the demonstrations continued, Fedorov suggested in a Telegram post that further decisions were being discussed. “Changes will definitely come,” Fedorov wrote. “You thanked me for Mriia  and Diia . For my part, I thank you for hope.”

“I have never felt this level of responsibility, even while holding government office. I thank the veterans and service members for holding the front and defending our honor. Dialogue is underway. I believe everything will work out,” he added.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said he had held extensive consultations and spoken separately with both Fedorov and Syrskyi.

“Yesterday and today, there were many consultations. Of course, I hear what people are saying,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “I spoke at length with Mykhailo Fedorov today. I also spoke with Oleksandr Syrskyi. Decisions regarding the army will be developed.”

The president thanked those defending Ukraine on the front line and carrying the war back to Russia, “where it came from.”

During the Kyiv rally, demonstrators chanted “Ukraine Is Europe,” “One United Ukraine,” “Change or Die,” “Servant of the People, Come Out to the People,” and “Power Belongs to the People.” Participants also observed a minute of silence for Ukrainian service members killed in Russia’s war.

Protests were also reported in Lviv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Ternopil, Kropyvnytskyi, Odesa, and Cherkasy.

In Lviv, demonstrators gathered near the Taras Shevchenko monument with signs reading “The Source of Power Is the People,” “Fedorov Is the Future,” and “Dismiss Syrskyi.” Some participants said they were attending on behalf of Ukrainian service members who could not leave their frontline positions.

More than 150 people joined a march along Soborna Street in Mykolaiv, while over 100 gathered in Cherkasy. Protesters also assembled outside the regional administration building in Ternopil, where more than 50 people had gathered by 7 p.m., as well as on Deribasivska Street in Odesa.

The demonstrations began on July 16 after Fedorov confirmed that he would leave the Defense Ministry following Zelenskyy’s government reshuffle.

Fedorov later publicly confirmed reports of a dispute with Syrskyi, saying that he had proposed replacing the commander-in-chief and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov. According to Fedorov, Syrskyi responded by issuing an ultimatum and “came up with a way to divide the country.”

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