Protesters Rally in Kyiv for Def. Min. 07/16 06:13

   

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown Kyiv and 
in other Ukrainian cities Thursday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr 
Zelenskyy moved to dismiss his defense minister, as parliament appointed a new 
prime minister as part of a major government reshuffle.

   The shake-up could become a test of Zelenskyy's political authority as 
Ukraine's fight against Russia's full-scale invasion approaches 4 years.

   Zelenskyy has remained in office under martial law, because wartime 
elections are prohibited and has periodically reshuffled his government.

   The political furor took place against a backdrop of unceasing Russian 
aerial attacks. Two people were killed and five others were wounded, including 
a child, when Russian missiles hit the capital, Kyiv, overnight, Ukraine's 
Emergency Service said.

   Ukraine gets a new prime minister

   Ukraine's parliament approved Serhii Koretskyi, the head of state energy 
company Naftogaz, as the country's new prime minister.

   Zelenskyy nominated Koretskyi, citing his record in the energy sector and 
arguing that he was best placed to help prepare Ukraine for another wartime 
winter, when Russian attacks on the power grid intensify. He was approved in a 
289-1 vote, with 21 abstentions.

   Outgoing Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, 35, is considered to be a 
modernizer whose technological expertise is credited in part with a significant 
improvement in Ukraine's military performance in recent months against Russia's 
bigger army. He was leaving the government after just six months in the post.

   Zelenskyy didn't publicly give a reason for Fedorov's anticipated exit and 
didn't immediately name a successor. Unconfirmed Ukrainian media reports said 
that Fedorov had a strained relationship with Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the 
commander of Ukraine's armed forces.

   Ukraine's air force deputy chief quits in support of Fedorov

   Syrskyi, 60, is credited with initially organizing the defense of Kyiv in 
February 2022, and seven months later masterminded a successful 
counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region. He was born in 1965 in the Soviet Union 
and attended Moscow Higher Military Command School before serving in the Soviet 
Artillery Corps.

   The mostly young protesters shouted Fedorov's name and made crude remarks 
about Skryskyi. They chanted, "Skryskyi go away!" and "A European army for a 
European country!"

   The Ukrainian military has rallied under Fedorov's guidance, slowing 
Russia's front-line advance to a virtual standstill and causing fuel shortages 
in Russia through long-range strikes, Western officials and analysts say. 
Zelenskyy's decision to fire him despite that track record has dismayed many 
people.

   Bohdan Huryak, a Kyiv resident at the protest, said that he was "deeply 
outraged" by Fedorov's exit.

   "I'm not deeply invested in the internal political debates, but this is a 
person who shows results on the battlefield, we see results, we feel the 
fighting spirit and confidence in victory rising," Huryak told The Associated 
Press. "And then, six months later, he is removed from office? Come on."

   Demonstrations were also held in other cities across Ukraine, including 
Dnipro in the center of the country and the southern port city of Odesa.

   The deputy commander of Ukraine's air force, Col. Pavlo Yelizarov, quit over 
Fedorov's dismissal.

   Fedorov's removal will weaken Ukraine's air defenses and lead to greater 
loss of life from Russian missile and drone attacks, Yelizarov said in his 
resignation letter posted on social media.

   "I believe that the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov is a great evil for the 
country's defense capability," he wrote on Facebook.

   Ukraine's president backtracked at last major protests

   Zelenskyy swiftly reversed course in July last year when large street 
protests broke out over a new law that would have curbed the independence of 
the country's anti-corruption watchdogs. The outcry threatened the stability of 
his leadership for the first time since Russia's all-out invasion, which began 
on Feb. 24, 2022.

   Before he became defense minister last January, Fedorov was the head of 
Ukraine's digital transformation policies and seen as a modernizer. He won 
public popularity by spearheading Ukraine's speedy development and deployment 
of drone technology and introducing several successful e-government platforms.

   He also promised sweeping military reforms, saying after he took over that 
the military had faced about 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by 
around 2 million people.

   Fedorov highlighted in his social media posts what he said were major 
achievements during his brief tenure. He said that he took the risk of 
redirecting funds originally earmarked for salary payments into midrange strike 
capabilities, fiber-optic drones, reconnaissance systems and other technologies.

   He also pointed to expanded drone procurement, Patriot missile defense 
contracts, successful ballistic missile tests and sweeping changes to military 
procurement.

   At the same time, he acknowledged that he was unable to complete the Defense 
Ministry's organizational transformation "according to NATO standards and 
common sense," move all procurement to competitive tenders, and build a culture 
of accountability.

   He said that while many officials had been dismissed under his authority, 
"it was necessary to dismiss even more people who were hindering the changes."

   Zelenskyy didn't formally announce Fedorov's departure. However, Fedorov 
confirmed his dismissal and listed his achievements in office in social media 
posts late Wednesday, after days of unconfirmed Ukrainian media reports that he 
was on his way out.