Zelensky meets with six commanders amid fifth day of protests in Ukraine

On Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with six senior military commanders as protests demanding the resignation of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky and the reinstatement of dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov continued across Ukraine for the fifth consecutive day.

Reuters reports this.

Ukrainians took to the streets of cities — Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and others — despite martial law. The wave of protests has become the largest since the start of the military operation in 2022. According to a survey by research company Gradus, 61% of Ukrainians opposed Fedorov’s dismissal.

Zelensky received the six commanders in consecutive sessions at his office. The talks focused on the situation along the front line, which stretches more than 1,200 kilometers. Each of the meeting’s participants is considered a possible replacement for Syrsky. Those who took part in the consultations included Commander of the Joint Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Volodymyr Horbatiuk, Commander of Airborne Forces Oleh Apostol, and army corps commanders Andrii Biletsky, Ihor Obolenskyi, and Denys Prokopenko.

Presidential Office chief Kyrylo Budanov sought to reassure the public.

“The opinion of society has been heard. Work is underway. Results will not be long in coming,” he said.

Protesters issued an ultimatum with a deadline of July 24. Dmytro Koziatynsky, a war veteran and protest organizer, called on supporters to begin an “indefinite general protest” if Syrsky has not been removed and Fedorov has not been returned as defense minister by that date. The ultimatum marks an escalation of the movement that began on July 16 — the day after Zelensky dismissed Fedorov as part of a sweeping government reshuffle. The protests are led predominantly by young people and have exposed deep divisions within Ukraine’s defense establishment over methods of waging the war. Syrsky, who is 60, has faced criticism from civil society, military personnel, and lawmakers, with opponents faulting him for a Soviet-style command approach and tactics associated with high casualties.

Mykhailo Fedorov, who is 35, has rejected alternative positions offered by Zelensky and insists he will return only as defense minister. A source close to Fedorov told Reuters that while the two men spoke “at length” over the weekend, Fedorov is “ready to return only as defense minister.” Ukrainian outlet NV reported on Monday that Fedorov will reject any position other than full reinstatement to his previous role.

On July 16, Fedorov publicly stated that prior to his dismissal he had sought to have Syrsky replaced — an initiative that Zelensky rejected. The former minister, under whose leadership breakthroughs in Ukraine’s use of drones were achieved during his six months in office, also declined an earlier offer to take up an advisory post.