Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with some of his army commanders on the 20th of July to try to ease growing discontent with defense leaders that has sparked the largest protests since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Reuters reports.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities in the past day, defying wartime laws. The protests, which followed the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov last week, are demanding the removal of Army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky. The protests, led by young people, have also highlighted deep divisions among defense leaders over how to stop Russia’s advance on the battlefield.
Syrsky, 60, has faced criticism from the public, soldiers and politicians for his Soviet-style leadership and tactics that have led to high casualties.
Zelensky met with five generals and a colonel, whom political analysts consider to be possible successors to Sirsky, to discuss the situation on the battlefield. Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues along the more than 1,200-kilometer front line.
The generals Zelensky met with represent a younger generation of Ukrainian military officers
whose careers have been shaped by fighting against Russian armies.
As the protests escalated, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Kyrylo Budanov, called for unity and promised to find a constructive solution. He added that public opinion had been heard, work was underway to improve the situation and that it would bring results.
A poll by the research company Gradus showed that 61% of Ukrainians were against Fedorov’s removal from office. Zelensky said he had held long and serious talks with Fedorov over the weekend. A source close to the former defense minister told Reuters that other possible positions had been discussed with Zelensky, but Fedorov was only willing to return as defense minister.
War veteran Dmytro Kozyatinsky, one of the organizers of the protests, called on supporters to hold a general indefinite protest unless Sirsky is dismissed from his post and Fedorov is reinstated as defense minister by the 24th of July.
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