07/17/2026
In many cities of Ukraine, on July 17, spontaneous protest rallies are being held for the second day in a row, related to the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov from the post of Minister of Defense. However, in addition to their initial demand to return Mykhailo Albertovich to his post, the protesters have added several others. This can be seen on homemade posters, where new slogans have appeared: ” Syrskyi away”, “Power is the people”, etc.
It is also quite telling that the number of people at the protests has increased significantly. Moreover, spontaneous rallies in cities are taking place both in the morning and in the evening.
Kyiv
In the capital, the protest took place on Franko Square, but due to a significant number of people, the rally started from Horodetskoho and Olhynska Streets.
Kharkiv
Even in Kharkiv, where explosions occur every day, people came out to protest .
And when another alert was declared in the city, people continued their protests in shelters – in the subway.
Lviv
About three hundred people came out to protest in Lviv – not counting the animals, who, judging by their posters, are also unhappy with the personnel rotations.
Mykolaiv
In Mykolaiv, the rally began in the evening, with about a hundred people attending.
Four demands were put forward at the rally, and directly to the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. In particular, people demand to appoint a Minister of Defense, nominate Fedorov for this position, ensure greater transparency of personnel decisions in the government, and conduct an investigation into the activities of Oleksandr Syrsky as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
It is indicative that in Mykolaiv they claim that they plan to hold such rallies every day until the authorities respond to their demands.
Odesa
In Odessa, people gathered on Deribasovskaya Street.
It is indicative that in Mykolaiv they claim that they plan to hold such rallies every day until the authorities respond to their demands.
Odesa
In Odessa, people gathered on Deribasovskaya Street.
Creative Odessans shout abuse at the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, they blame Syrsky for the scandal with “Skelya”.
Zhytomyr
In Zhytomyr, as the participants of the action emphasize, “a peaceful protest action is underway.” People gathered in the city center, and quite loudly expressed their position and called on the authorities to take their opinion into account.
Ternopil
About a hundred people in Ternopil are continuing a protest in the city center.
Ivano-Frankivsk
In Frankivsk, people began gathering in the square near the administrative building around 7:00 PM.
They, like the participants of previous protests, held cardboard posters with words of support for Mikhail Fedorov.
Half an hour after the start, more than 200 people gathered in the square.
Poltava
A rally in support of Fedorov is also underway in Poltava on July 17.
Kropyvnytskyi
In Kropyvnytskyi, people gathered on Heroes’ Square on Maidan and chanted: “Bring back Fedorov,” “No to manual control,” etc.
Lutsk
In Lutsk, among other things, people at protests claim that elected officials “have not yet earned” a vacation.
Chernivtsi
In Chernivtsi, about 30 people are holding a rally for the return of Mykhailo Fedorov to the Ministry of Defense.
What preceded
On July 15, Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed that he was leaving the post of Minister of Defense after personnel changes in the government. President Volodymyr Zelensky decided not to re-nominate him and planned to nominate Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko for the post of Minister of Defense.
On the morning of July 16, 2026, protests began in Kyiv and many regional centers of Ukraine demanding that Fedorov remain in office. The largest gathering was held in the square near the Franko Theater in Kyiv, where thousands of people gathered. Protests were also held in Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Odessa, Zaporizhia, Vinnytsia, Lutsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and other cities.
As OBOZ.UA reported, Mikhail Fedorov claims that he does not seek to hold public office for the sake of status. Instead, his goal is to achieve victory in the war. He also said that after a conversation with the president, he refused the offer to work as an advisor.
Now we have a shit show. Z really fucked up on this one. I don’t think this will pass.
A better get his ass out there and get his head out of his ass FAST. This will not get better with age.
👍🇺🇦💝✌️