By Yuliia Dysa and Vladyslav Smilianets
KYIV, July 31 (Reuters) - Several thousand Ukrainians rallied through central Kyiv on Friday, signalling to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that opposition to his decision to oust Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, widely credited with driving military innovation during Ukraine's war with Russia, remains strong.
Fedorov, who only took charge of the wartime ministry in January, was dismissed in a surprise and poorly explained government reshuffle in mid-July.
Since
then, Ukrainians have been gathering next to the presidential office, pushing for Fedorov to be reinstated as he refused to accept another government post.
"I don't like it when decisions are made, and then no one can explain why they were made," Oleksandr, a 40-year-old working in the IT sector, said.
Zelenskiy initially said he removed Fedorov because of a major conflict with then commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom he dismissed a week later under public pressure triggered by the crisis.
But speculation grew that Fedorov was forced out because of efforts to tackle alleged corruption in the defence sector. Fedorov appeared to lend weight to those claims in a recent interview, though he provided no details.
On Friday, aiming to draw the president's attention, protesters marched through Kyiv's historical centre, until the crowd poured into Khreshchatyk, the heart of the Ukrainian capital.
Some Ukrainians questioned whether the war with Russia could be won without technological modernisation of the post-Soviet army system - a transformation Fedorov embraced and embodied.
His dismissal came as Ukraine was intensifying deep strikes on Russian military and energy targets and reporting gains on the frontline.
Zelenskiy so far has shown no intention of reversing his decision. He picked Yevhenii Khmara, the acting head of the state security service, to serve as acting defence minister. The position of defence minister, by law, is a civilian office in Ukraine.
Matteo Mecacci, director of the European Policy Institute in Kyiv, said that the appointment of Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new top military commander might restore trust among some Ukrainians, but not all.
"The way out (for Zelenskiy) probably cannot be limited to another personnel decision, and Fedorov's reappointment now appears unlikely. The focus must therefore be on effective crisis management," he said.
Protest organiser Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a military veteran, said Zelenskiy should give Fedorov a year to pursue reforms in the defence sector and then judge him on the results.
DEMOCRACY DURING WAR
Ukrainians who took to the streets on Friday said they were ready to rally on as the crowd chanted: "The people are the power."
Civilian control over governance is "an essential democratic principle", Mecacci said, adding Ukrainians once again showed what they are fighting for in the war against Russia, now well into its fifth year.
"These demonstrations show that Ukrainians do not regard such questions as an internal dispute among officials, but as matters directly affecting the effectiveness of the war effort and public confidence in the country's institutions," he added.
Iryna, a 38-year-old businesswoman, said she would continue to protest until the government accepted their demand.
"We are not in a rush. We are here to stay. We have no choice," she said.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa, Vladyslav Smilianets; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
