Protests over dismissal of Ukraine’s defense minister continue over weekend

Hundreds of Ukrainians took to the streets over the weekend to protest the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, with demonstrators gathering in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and other major cities. Meduza reports that Fedorov's removal followed a conflict with the country's military commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi. The protest comes after Ukraine's government resigned en masse on July fourteenth, with some ministers reappointed and Yevhenii Khmara replacing Fedorov at the Defense Ministry. Demonstrators are also calling for Syrskyi's removal—and according to reports from the Financial Times and Meduza, President Volodymyr Zelensky is considering dismissing him as well.

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