Pressure to reinstate Ukraine’s defence minister grows as Zelensky reshuffles military command

President Zelensky faces mounting protests and political pressure to restore Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after firing commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and naming Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new armed-forces head, while Yevhenii Khmara becomes acting defence minister. Fedorov has so far rejected a deputy prime minister post and seeks reinstatement, spurring rallies outside the presidential office as observers warn that reversing the move could be seen as weakness. Drapatyi is tasked with intensifying operations and modernising the force amid ongoing Ukrainian drone strikes and a fragile frontline dynamic with Russia.