Oleksandr Syrskyi is expected to lose his job as Ukraine’s commander in chief after five days of protests outside the Office of the President in Kyiv. Thousands of demonstrators have kept up the pressure since last Thursday, when Volodymyr Zelenskyy sacked Mykhailo Federov and set off the dispute over Ukraine’s top military leadership.
The protesters chanted “Syrskyi out” and some waved cheese graters as a pun on Syrskyi’s name. Protest organisers have given Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Friday to give Federov his old job back, or face a “general indefinite protest” in towns and cities across Kyiv and Ukraine.
Kyiv protests over Federov and Syrskyi
Federov, who is 35 years old and was described as a moderniser, said Syrskyi had blocked reforms with “bureaucratic impediments” and ignored data. Federov also said Syrskyi rewarded brigades that were loyal to him personally. The protest movement turned that complaint into a public demand, tying the fate of Syrskyi to whether Federov returns to government.
On Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy held meetings with several possible replacements, including Mykhailo Drapatiy. Yevheniy Khmara attended those meetings with top military figures. The discussion around succession is now the part that matters most inside the military, because it is no longer just about whether Syrskyi stays in post but about who would take command if he goes.
General staff and Kyrylo Budanov
The General staff denied media reports on Monday that Syrskyi was about to be sacked, saying Gen Syrskyi and Andriy Hnatov were still carrying out their duties. It also said that dismissal from these posts takes place on the basis of a decree by the president of Ukraine. That leaves the immediate decision with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, even as the public pressure outside the presidential office continues to build.
Kyrylo Budanov said, “The public’s position has been heard,” and said the situation was being resolved “professionally and constructively.” Budanov also warned that “The enemy is closely watching every one of our internal disputes and waiting for us to start fighting among ourselves... Work is under way. Results will follow,” linking the leadership dispute to the war around Russia. He said that while the protest organisers have set Friday as their deadline, the military chain of command remains in place until the president acts.
Friday deadline in Kyiv and Ukraine
The next pressure point is Friday, when protest organisers want Federov restored and have said the demonstrations will widen if that does not happen. For readers in Kyiv and Ukraine, that means the immediate question is not whether the street pressure exists — it does — but whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy uses that deadline to settle the dispute, keep Syrskyi in place, or push through a reshuffle at the top of the army.
