For a second day, thousands of Ukrainians gathered outside the presidential office in Kyiv to protest the sudden removal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a popular and innovative figure who had clashed with the more conventional military chief of staff, Oleksandr Syrskyi. The protests followed a surprise government reshuffle in which Fedorov was not reappointed.
Zelenskyy Defends Reshuffle Amid Leadership Rift
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended his decision, stating he was forced "to choose between sides [when honestly] what I want most is unity." The move, which comes as Kyiv appeared to gain advantages in its war with Russia, has exposed a troubling flaw in the president's leadership and startled senior European officials. According to Guardian senior international correspondent Peter Beaumont, the dismissal is shocking because Fedorov had successfully leveraged drone and missile technology.
"With hindsight, the conflict between the two men and their ideas about how to fight the war was inevitable: between an older – and old-school general – micromanaging a bruising war of attrition against a more numerous foe, and Fedorov, with his tech-driven, more improvisational approach that appeared in recent months to be showing dividends," Beaumont wrote.
Zelenskyy Moves to Repair Ties with Poland
Meanwhile, on Friday, Zelenskyy took steps to repair a rift with key ally Poland over his decision in May to name a Ukrainian army unit in honour of second world war fighters who killed Poles. Zelenskyy pledged to expand investigations into those killings by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a pro-independence armed group, and to open intelligence files. He told a meeting of senior officials that improved ties were critical given Poland's help to Ukraine against Russia. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that Poland was "ready for a serious and friendly dialogue on the issues that unite us and those that divide us."
Russian Attacks and Drone Strikes
A Ukrainian drone attack on a logistics centre in the town of Kotovsk in western Russia killed seven people and wounded 24, while more than 370 drones were launched towards Moscow overnight. Governor of the Tambor region, Evgeny Pervyshov, said on Saturday the workers were killed when enemy UAVs hit a Wildberries logistics centre. In Moscow, the mass drone attack was mostly neutralised by air defence forces, the Russian capital's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on Saturday, with 64 enemy UAVs destroyed on approach to Moscow.
In Russia, authorities cracked down on dissent, detaining a blogger who criticised President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, and fining an anti-war politician, a warning to Kremlin critics that Putin would brook no opposition ahead of September's parliamentary election. The president and the dominant United Russia party are under pressure because of a slowing economy and fuel shortages triggered by Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries. The blogger, Ilya Remeslo, was detained on Friday on suspicion of spreading false information about the Russian army, the TASS state news agency reported. RIA news agency quoted Remeslo's lawyer, Sergei Badamshin, as saying the blogger denied the charges.
Separately, Boris Nadezhdin, a politician who attempted to run against Putin in the 2024 presidential election on an anti-war ticket, was fined 1,000 roubles ($13) for displaying "extremist symbols." The case was among a series of steps against Nadezhdin that could signal more serious consequences if he continues to criticise the government.
Russian Attacks on Ukrainian Ports
Russia continued its attacks in the Black Sea, hitting two Ukrainian port cities on Friday that killed three people, Ukrainian officials said. Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine's maritime export arteries during the war, but the strikes have intensified in past weeks and focused on deepwater ports that handle grain and other cargo. A Russian drone attack on port infrastructure at the southern city of Mykolaiv damaged three civilian foreign-flagged vessels, regional prosecutors said. One of the strikes, early on Friday, killed two Ukrainians on board a foreign vessel, they said. Another man was killed in a Russian attack on Odesa, Ukraine's biggest seaport, local officials said. Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said a later Russian strike hit a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel in one of the Odesa region ports, damaging the vessel, triggering a fire and injuring four of its 17 crew members. The strikes have led to a partial halt in grain shipments and an almost complete suspension of grain purchases at port terminals, traders and analysts say.
