Protesters demand Ukraine’s commander-in-chief be dismissed

Protesters in Kyiv called for the dismissal of Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy removed a popular defence minister, pushing rare wartime anger into the open for a second straight day. The demonstrations spread beyond the capital to at least several Ukrainian cities, turning a leadership dispute at the top of the armed forces into a public political crisis.

In Kyiv, many of the demonstrators were young and carried signs reading “Hands off Fedorov” and “Stop sabotaging victory!” The protests drew thousands into the streets across Ukraine, a striking display in a country where public unrest during wartime has been uncommon. The anger reflected more than one personnel decision. It exposed frustration over how the war is being run, including battlefield strategy, casualties and the chain of command.

The backlash also reached inside the military. Soldiers speaking publicly said they were outraged by the removal of the defence minister, underscoring that the dispute was not confined to civilians in the square. Mykhailo Fedorov, the outgoing defence minister, escalated the confrontation by saying Syrskyi had “split the country.” That accusation captured the depth of the rupture between Ukraine’s political leadership and its senior military brass as the country continues to fight Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Syrskyi’s position is politically sensitive because he only took the post after another major shake-up less than two years ago. Zelenskyy dismissed Valerii Zaluzhnyi as commander-in-chief in February 2024 after months of speculation about a rift between the president and his top general, and Syrskyi replaced him. Before that, Syrskyi had been seen as a key battlefield commander, which had once made him a symbol of military effectiveness rather than a target of public anger.

The latest unrest has raised the stakes for Zelenskyy as he tries to steady command at a critical moment in the war. The Financial Times said he was weighing whether to sack Syrskyi if a suitable successor could be found to ensure a smooth transition. Interfax described it as the biggest military leadership crisis of Zelenskyy’s presidency. With public protests now aimed at the commander-in-chief himself, the political cost of every battlefield decision has become harder for Kyiv to contain.