{
  "id": 27974,
  "title": "‘Frustration and anger are building’ as thousands demand Fedorov’s return",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/frustration-and-anger-are-building-as-thousands-demand-fedorovs-return",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-01T23:16:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Voice of Ukraine",
    "slug": "new-voice-of-ukraine",
    "url": "https://english.nv.ua/nation/veteran-urges-zelenskyy-to-reinstate-fedorov-as-protests-spread-across-ukraine-50629077.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Veteran activist Dmytro Koziatynskyi has issued a plea to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urging him not to ignore the demands of thousands of protesters seeking to reinstate Mykhailo Fedorov as Ukraine's defense minister. Koziatynskyi, who has previously called on Ukrainians to join protests against Fedorov's dismissal, claimed that \"frustration and anger are building in society\" and that the current crisis stems from the government's inability to communicate with the public.\n\nProtesters took to the streets in Kyiv and 30 other cities, marking the largest demonstration since the Revolution of Dignity. When faced with an air raid alert in Kyiv, protesters refused to disperse and chanted, \"We are staying, and we will stay.\" Koziatynskyi blamed the government's disorientation on its failure to address the concerns of its citizens.\n\nThe veteran activist emphasized that key government positions, especially during wartime, must be filled by individuals with clear plans and proven records. He urged President Zelenskyy to heed the people's demands and reinstate Fedorov as defense minister to prevent the protests from continuing indefinitely. Koziatynskyi asked the President to meet the people's expectations and return Fedorov to the Defense Ministry, stating, \"Mr. President, I am asking you to meet the demands of your people so that we no longer have to chant slogans to the sound of sirens.\"\n\nProtest marches took place in Lviv, Vinnytsia, Rivne, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhya, Kropyvnytskyi, and Odesa, following a route from the Taras Shevchenko Monument to Ivan Franko Square on July 31. The protests were led by Koziatynskyi, who utilized social media to call for Fedorov's reinstatement. After Mykhailo Drapatyi was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Koziatynskyi warned that the protests would become open-ended unless Fedorov returned to his ministerial post. Since then, protests supporting Fedorov have continued in Kyiv and numerous other cities.",
  "summary": "Protesters’ demands to reinstate Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister must not be ignored, veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi wrote in an appeal to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X on Aug. 1.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}