Ukrainians welcome new army chief but want fired defence minister back
Ukraine’s new army chief Mykhailo Drapaty received a cautious but broadly positive reception on Wednesday, with soldiers and civilians expressing hope that his appointment could sharpen battlefield command. But the mood across the country remained complicated — thousands are still demanding the reinstatement of former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whose abrupt dismissal last week triggered the largest war-related protests Ukraine has seen since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
A new commander steps in
Drapaty, a 52-year-old general with experience in armoured warfare and prior command roles in eastern Ukraine, was confirmed by parliament with 287 votes in favour. President Volodymyr Zelensky described him as a man who “understands the front” and said the change was necessary to inject fresh thinking into a military grinding through its third year of gruelling attritional fighting. Drapaty’s predecessor, Oleksandr Syrskyi, had served as commander-in-chief since February 2024.
Reactions from troops were measured. “We’ll see what he does in the first month,” said one soldier reached by phone near Zaporizhzhia, who asked not to be named. “Words are cheap right now.”
The Fedorov question won’t go away
Still, the appointment of Drapaty didn’t quiet the anger over Fedorov. Demonstrations erupted in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro and at least nine other cities over the weekend, with crowds ranging from a few hundred to several thousand. In Kyiv’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti square, organisers estimated around 4,000 people gathered on Saturday evening alone, holding signs reading “Bring back Fedorov” and “Who’s next?”
Fedorov, 33, had built a reputation as one of Ukraine’s most effective wartime officials, credited with coordinating drone procurement, expanding the country’s domestic defence industry, and maintaining critical supply chains under impossible pressure. His removal came without public explanation, and that silence has only deepened suspicion.
It’s the opacity that’s driving much of the frustration, not just the decision itself.
A senior parliamentary aide, speaking on background because they weren’t authorised to discuss the matter publicly, said discussions about Fedorov’s possible return or reassignment to another senior role were “ongoing” but that nothing had been decided. “The president is aware of public sentiment,” the aide said.
What comes next
For now, Drapaty faces an immediate set of challenges that would test any commander. Russian forces have been pushing hard along a 1,200-kilometre front line, and Ukrainian units in the Donetsk region have been under sustained pressure for months. Western military aid, while continuing, remains politically uncertain heading into a US election cycle.
And the protests aren’t likely to fade quickly. Organisers have already announced a follow-up demonstration in Kyiv scheduled for next Saturday, promising a larger turnout if Fedorov isn’t reinstated or at least given a formal explanation for his dismissal.
Ukraine is fighting a war on two fronts now — one against Russia, and one against a crisis of confidence at home. How Zelensky manages both in the coming weeks could define the country’s political landscape for months to come.
