Protesters rally in Kyiv as Zelenskyy moves to oust Ukraine's defense minister

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown Kyiv and in other Ukrainian cities Thursday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved to dismiss his defense minister, as parliament appointed a new prime minister as part of a major government reshuffle.

The shake-up could become a test of Zelenskyy’s political authority as Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches 4½ years.

Zelenskyy has remained in office under martial law, because wartime elections are prohibited and has periodically reshuffled his government.

The political furor took place against a backdrop of unceasing Russian aerial attacks. Two people were killed and five others were wounded, including a child, when Russian missiles hit the capital, Kyiv, overnight, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said.

Ukraine’s parliament approved Serhii Koretskyi, the head of state energy company Naftogaz, as the country’s new prime minister.

Zelenskyy nominated Koretskyi, citing his record in the energy sector and arguing that he was best placed to help prepare Ukraine for another wartime winter, when Russian attacks on the power grid intensify. He was approved in a 289-1 vote, with 21 abstentions.

Outgoing Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, 35, is considered to be a modernizer whose technological expertise is credited in part with a significant improvement in Ukraine’s military performance in recent months against Russia’s bigger army. He was leaving the government after just six months in the post.

Zelenskyy didn’t publicly give a reason for Fedorov’s anticipated exit and didn’t immediately name a successor. Unconfirmed Ukrainian media reports said that Fedorov had a strained relationship with Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces.

Syrskyi, 60, is credited with initially organizing the defense of Kyiv in February 2022, and seven months later masterminded a successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region. He was born in 1965 in the Soviet Union and attended Moscow Higher Military Command School before serving in the Soviet Artillery Corps.

The mostly young protesters shouted Fedorov’s name and made crude remarks about Skryskyi. They chanted, “Skryskyi go away!” and “A European army for a European country!”

The Ukrainian military has rallied under Fedorov’s guidance, slowing Russia’s front-line advance to a virtual standstill and causing fuel shortages in Russia through long-range strikes, Western officials and analysts say. Zelenskyy’s decision to fire him despite that track record has dismayed many people.

Bohdan Huryak, a Kyiv resident at the protest, said that he was “deeply outraged” by Fedorov’s exit.

“I’m not deeply invested in the internal political debates, but this is a person who shows results on the battlefield, we see results, we feel the fighting spirit and confidence in victory rising,” Huryak told The Associated Press. “And then, six months later, he is removed from office? Come on.”

Demonstrations were also held in other cities across Ukraine, including Dnipro in the center of the country and the southern port city of Odesa.

The deputy commander of Ukraine’s air force, Col. Pavlo Yelizarov, quit over Fedorov’s dismissal.

Fedorov’s removal will weaken Ukraine’s air defenses and lead to greater loss of life from Russian missile and drone attacks, Yelizarov said in his resignation letter posted on social media.

“I believe that the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov is a great evil for the country’s defense capability,” he wrote on Facebook.

Zelenskyy swiftly reversed course in July last year when large street protests broke out over a new law that would have curbed the independence of the country’s anti-corruption watchdogs. The outcry threatened the stability of his leadership for the first time since Russia’s all-out invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022.

Before he became defense minister last January, Fedorov was the head of Ukraine’s digital transformation policies and seen as a modernizer. He won public popularity by spearheading Ukraine's speedy development and deployment of drone technology and introducing several successful e-government platforms.

He also promised sweeping military reforms, saying after he took over that the military had faced about 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people.

Fedorov highlighted in his social media posts what he said were major achievements during his brief tenure. He said that he took the risk of redirecting funds originally earmarked for salary payments into midrange strike capabilities, fiber-optic drones, reconnaissance systems and other technologies.

He also pointed to expanded drone procurement, Patriot missile defense contracts, successful ballistic missile tests and sweeping changes to military procurement.

At the same time, he acknowledged that he was unable to complete the Defense Ministry’s organizational transformation “according to NATO standards and common sense,” move all procurement to competitive tenders, and build a culture of accountability.

He said that while many officials had been dismissed under his authority, “it was necessary to dismiss even more people who were hindering the changes.”

Zelenskyy didn't formally announce Fedorov’s departure. However, Fedorov confirmed his dismissal and listed his achievements in office in social media posts late Wednesday, after days of unconfirmed Ukrainian media reports that he was on his way out.

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Dan Bashakov and Dmytro Zhyhinas contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine