A protest action in the format of a protest march for dialogue and reforms in the defense sector started in central Kyiv on Friday.
As an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reports, as of 19:20, approximately 1,200 participants gathered near the Taras Shevchenko monument in the park of the same name, where the march started, with its final destination being Ivan Franko Square, where a rally for the return of Mykhailo Fedorov to the Ministry of Defense has been taking place over the past weeks. People continue to arrive and join the column.
Before the column started moving, one of the protest initiators, veteran and activist, former combat medic of the "Da Vinci Wolves" battalion Dmytro Koziatynsky, addressed the participants.
As of 19:50, the march made its way down to Khreshchatyk Street. The number of participants reached 3,000–4,000 people.
As on previous days of the protest, the main attribute of the action remains cardboard signs with various inscriptions: "Return Fedorov", "Fedorov – Minister of Defense", "All Ukraine Speaks", "Bring Him Back", "Dynasty or Hope?", "What is the war plan?" and many others.
The majority of the signs are dedicated specifically to the issue of returning Fedorov to the Ministry of Defense. There are also isolated cardboard signs reading "Ministry of Veterans Affairs – Veteran".
Participants in the rally also traditionally chant slogans: "Fedorov", "Power belongs to the people", "We care", "We don't want to stand still", "With drones, not people", and others.
Among the various demands of the protesters: clear communication from authorities and approaches that guarantee security and effective management of the defense sector; immediate submission by the President of Mykhailo Fedorov's candidacy for the position of Minister of Defense; and an obligation by the Verkhovna Rada to convene an extraordinary meeting to vote for this appointment.
The day before, Koziatynsky, commenting on Fedorov's interview with Ukrainska Pravda, stated that in his view, "giving a person one year to implement already initiated reforms is the optimal way out of the situation," implying that appointing Fedorov as minister for a one-year term could serve as a compromise solution.
The march is accompanied by dialogue police. Representatives of both Ukrainian and foreign media are also present.
According to media reports, the protest march for dialogue and reforms in the defense sector is taking place in at least nine cities: Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Lutsk, Rivne, Poltava, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi.
As reported, rallies against the change of Ukraine's Minister of Defense, including demands to keep Mykhailo Fedorov in his position, started on July 16.
On July 16, upon submission by newly appointed Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky, the Verkhovna Rada approved the new composition of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. At the same time, under the presidential quota, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense were not appointed, as no submissions for these candidacies were received.
Starting July 20, the government temporarily assigned the duties of Minister of Defense of Ukraine to Yevhen Khmara, whom President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy relieved on July 17 from temporary duties as head of the Security Service of Ukraine and from the post of head of Center for Special Operations "A" of the SBU.
On July 23, former Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov expressed gratitude to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for all offered positions, stating that he wants to genuinely influence the course of the war and therefore does not agree to any position other than Minister of Defense.
According to the protest organizers, an open-ended rally started on July 24 until Fedorov is appointed Minister of Defense.
