Kyiv, Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met six senior military officers amid growing discontent with Ukraine’s defence leadership and the largest street protests since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Thousands of people in Kyiv and other cities protested for several consecutive days, defying martial law, following the removal of Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister and calling for the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Leadership criticism
The youth-led protests highlighted divisions within the defence leadership over efforts to halt Russian battlefield advances, despite the war’s overall momentum shifting in Kyiv’s favour.
Syrskyi, 60, has faced criticism from civil society groups, soldiers and lawmakers over what critics describe as a Soviet-style command culture and high-casualty tactics.
Meetings with commanders
Zelenskiy met five generals and one colonel individually to discuss the battlefield situation as fighting continued along more than 1,200 kilometres of the frontline.
Political analysts view the officers as possible replacements for Syrskyi. They include Commander of the Joint Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Volodymyr Horbatyuk, air assault forces commander Oleh Apostol, and army corps commanders Andriy Biletsky, Ihor Obolenskyi and Denys Prokopenko.
The commanders are among Ukraine’s best-known and most respected officers and represent a younger generation whose careers were shaped by combat against Russian forces. Zelenskiy posted photographs from his study after each meeting.
Response to protests
Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, called for unity and restraint after the protests and said authorities would respond constructively.
“The public’s views have been heard,” Budanov said. “Work is underway. Results will follow.”
A poll by research company Gradus found that 61% of Ukrainians opposed Fedorov’s dismissal.