Zelensky Opens 5 Days of Army Talks as Kyiv Protests Press Fedorov Reversal
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 21
Zelensky Opens 5 Days of Army Talks as Kyiv Protests Press Fedorov Reversal
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 21
Summary
Several thousand protesters in Kyiv pushed Zelensky to open back-to-back video calls with army corps commanders after the firing of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov triggered a fifth day of demonstrations.
The outreach signaled room for compromise as anger shifted from demands to reinstate Fedorov toward calls to remove top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, his rival over robotic warfare strategy.
Kyrylo Budanov, Zelensky’s chief of staff, said Monday that “society’s position has been heard,” underscoring the administration’s effort to acknowledge the street pressure rather than confront it.
Syrskyi remained in his post as of Monday night, while Zelensky also offered Fedorov other jobs, including a National Security Council role that the former minister had not accepted.
The episode highlights a wartime political constraint for Zelensky: he has resisted battlefield pressure but remains sensitive to public protest in Kyiv’s long tradition of street-driven politics.