Kyiv protesters demand return of ex-defense minister as parliament reconvenes

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in central Kyiv on Sunday, demanding the reinstatement of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and urging the government to listen more closely to public concerns. The protest, which began near the Arch of Freedom of the Ukrainian People, saw crowds march along Khreshchatyk toward the Presidential Office before moving on to Ivan Franko Square.

Protesters carried posters bearing images of fallen soldiers and chanted slogans as they walked through the capital. The demonstration comes just as Ukraine's parliament prepares to return from its holiday recess on Monday, with protesters hoping lawmakers will address their demands for changes in defense leadership.

Albina Rakhmatudena, an advertising worker at the rally, said the protests have been ongoing for about a month. "We want to remind everyone that we are still here," she said. "Parliament returns from recess this Monday, and we want them to come back to work with the full confidence that we have not forgotten. We will stand until the end, until the decisions demanded by the Ukrainian people are made."

Denys Pidhornyi, a volunteer who joined the protest, said he came out on the first day spontaneously against Fedorov's dismissal. He cited the former minister's work on material support for the military, noting that friends serving in the armed forces had spoken positively about his tenure.

The protest unfolds against a backdrop of intensified hostilities. Ukraine launched hundreds of drones across Russia on Sunday, killing at least six people in one of Kyiv's largest aerial attacks of the war. Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted Russian military industries, energy facilities, and large logistics hubs this year, bringing the conflict closer to the Russian public nearly four and a half years into Moscow's full-scale invasion.

Ukraine also faced Russian drone attacks over the weekend, with strikes destroying homes and damaging Kyiv's landmark book market. The dueling aerial campaigns underscore the continued volatility of the conflict as diplomatic and political processes remain stalled.