Residents of Mykolaiv, carrying placards, gathered outside the town hall to protest against the dismissal of Defence Minister Fedorov

Rally in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

On 16 July at around 10:00, a rally featuring cardboard placards took place in Mykolaiv, attended by around 30 people. The protesters held signs reading «Vova, we have questions», «You’re fighting the wrong war» and «My love, we’re killing innovation». The protest was sparked by the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov from his post as Minister for Digital Transformation.

This was reported by a correspondent for NikVesti.

The rally in Mykolaiv took place after the Verkhovna Rada approved the new composition of the Cabinet of Ministers, in which Mykhailo Fedorov no longer holds the post of Minister of Digital Transformation.

Rally in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

Rally in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

Rally in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

Rally in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

During the rally, people chanted “Mykolaiv for Fedorov”.

People turned out for the rally in Mykolaiv

People took to the streets for a rally in Mykolaiv

Protesters marched along Soborna Street to Tsentralnyi Avenue. They stated that if their demands were not heard, they would gather again for another protest.

«I’m fed up with putting up with this. And with people being so blatantly led up the garden path. Without any explanation or justification for why such a decision was taken. I believe that this Defence Minister, who is apparently considered incompetent, has achieved far more in less than half a year than any other Defence Minister has in the entire history of independent Ukraine,» said one of the protesters.

Protesters in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

Protesters in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

It should be noted that the Verkhovna Rada is due to consider the appointment of the new Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine today, 16 July. Among the candidates for ministerial posts are officials from Mykolaiv — Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, and Ivan Vyhivskyi, head of the National Police.

On the evening of 15 July, Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk, a Member of Parliament and member of the Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy, wrote about the preliminary allocation of posts.

However, according to RBC-Ukraine, no position in the government has been found for the current Defence Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, although Volodymyr Zelenskyy had promised that Fedorov would remain in the team, without providing any further details. Mykhailo Fedorov himself confirmed yesterday evening that he is stepping down as head of the Ministry of Defence. He recalled that during his time in office, the team had managed to disable the Russians’ Starlink system, invest in mid-strike capabilities and weaponry, and launch the «Logistical Lockdown».