Protests continue for fifth consecutive day in Kyiv and other cities

In the center of the capital, on the square near the Franko Theater, as well as in other cities across Ukraine, rallies against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov as Ukraine’s defense minister have been taking place for the fifth consecutive day. According to Ukrinform, hundreds of protesters in Kyiv are holding signs calling on the authorities to reconsider the decision to dismiss Fedorov. At the same time, the crowd is calling on the President to dismiss Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Protesters are shouting "Shame on you," "Ukraine is not Russia," "There are no vacations in war," "Together we are many, we cannot be defeated," "One, united, and indivisible Ukraine," "Syrskyi—out," and are also singing "Chervona Ruta." Protests are also continuing in Kharkiv for the fifth day in a row. In Ternopil, people continue to rally, demanding that Mykhailo Fedorov be reinstated as defense minister and that Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, be dismissed. Today, more than a hundred people gathered outside the regional council building and the regional state administration.

They chanted the slogan "One, united, and indivisible Ukraine." Tanya, a resident of Ternopil, wrote on her cardboard sign, "Kherson and the region are not silent. It's just that the drones won't let us protest." She explained that she had read a social media post by a Kherson resident who asked her to write this sign on her behalf, since it's difficult to hold such protests in her hometown due to constant enemy attacks. Yevgeniya Mironenko, a resident of Kherson, is holding a sign that reads "I Stand for Kherson." "I want peace at last, and I want to go home.

I also really want everyone—and especially our defenders—to feel at home. I've been a civic activist since 2013; I've organized protests in Kherson and been through all of this many times… I want us to see what we've started through to the end and finally have justice in our country," Yevheniia said. In Mykolaiv on Monday evening, about 80 people, mostly young people, gathered in the city center and marched down the pedestrian street Soborna, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

The participants held signs reading "Bring Fedorov Back, Out with Syrskyi," "Responsibility Doesn't Go on Vacation," "It's Time for Systemic Change," "Exchange Prisoners, Not Fedorov," and so on. Some came with their dogs. "We will keep marching until we are heard.

We want some order in the country; we want Fedorov to be the defense minister because he is the most effective of them all. We want the country's leadership to make the right decision and listen to the people," said Tetyana, a lawyer and participant in the rally. Anastasia, a representative of the youth civic organization "Kult Derzhavy," stated that the protesters have specific demands, which they have submitted to the city council.

They have not yet received a response, so they plan to continue their protests. "We demand that an extraordinary session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine be convened immediately, because going on vacation during a political crisis is not an option.