Participants in protests calling for dialogue and reform in the defense sector, who had previously held gatherings on Ivan Franko Square in central Kyiv and marched down Khreshchatyk Street on Sunday, gathered for a rally on Hrushevskoho Street near the Verkhovna Rada building on Tuesday.
An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported that no more than around 30 protesters were present on the side of Hrushevskoho Street in Mariinsky Park. As at previous events, they called for Mykhailo Fedorov's return as defense minister, urged transparent decision-making at the Defense Ministry and in the army, and called on representatives of the ruling Servant of the People party to come out and meet with them.
They chanted "Servant of the people, serve the people," "Shame," "Transparent decisions," "Reforms," "Bring back Fedorov" and other slogans, and held banners and cardboard signs reading "Fedorov for defense minister," "Kickbacks are executions" and others seen at past events.
The Verkhovna Rada is holding its first plenary session on August 18 since July 16. Tuesday's agenda does not include personnel appointments for the defense and foreign affairs minister posts under the president's quota. Participants in the Franko Square rallies had earlier opposed the parliament's break in plenary work.
As previously reported, protests against replacing Ukraine's defense minister, including demands to keep Mykhailo Fedorov in the post, began on July 16. That day, the Verkhovna Rada approved a new Cabinet of Ministers on the motion of newly appointed Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky, but the foreign affairs minister and defense minister posts under the president's quota were not filled, as no nominations for those positions had been submitted.
Since July 20, the government has temporarily assigned the duties of defense minister to Yevhen Khmara, whom President Volodymyr Zelenskyy relieved on July 17 of his temporary duties as head of the Security Service of Ukraine and as chief of the SBU's Special Operations Center "A."
On July 23, former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov thanked Zelenskyy for all the positions offered to him and said he wants to have a real impact on the course of the war, so he will not accept any post other than defense minister. According to protest organizers, an indefinite protest began on July 24, to continue until Fedorov is appointed defense minister.
At that time, rallies on Franko Square drew several thousand participants. On August 14, a rally for Fedorov's return and for dialogue and reform in the defense sector drew about 300 participants, and up to 1,500 people took part in the protest march down Khreshchatyk on August 16.
