Protests in Ukraine against removal of defence minister

Large protests have taken place in several Ukrainian cities against the removal of popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

More than 1,000 people gathered on a central square in Kyiv, singing the Ukrainian national anthem, waving Ukrainian and EU flags and chanting "shame" and "bring Fedorov back".

Only appointed six months ago, Mr Fedorov carved a reputation as a moderniser who tried to reform the Ukrainian military, worn down by more than four years of the Russian invasion.

His removal risks throwing uncertainty into the army at a time when Ukraine in one of its best positions in the war for months, having halted the pace of the Russian advance and pounding Russian oil and military sites with long-range drones.

Mr Fedorov announced late yesterday that he was stepping down, saying it was a "great honour to serve the Ukrainian people", amid a sweeping government reshuffle ordered by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

No official reason was given for the decision, which protestors saw as part of infighting inside Ukraine's military establishment between Mr Fedorov and commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky.

Local media reported protests in several other cities, including Lviv, Odesa and Dnipro.

The deputy commander of Ukraine's air force Pavlo Yelizarov also resigned in protest at Mr Fedorov's removal.

Mr Zelensky also pushed out Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko this week after just a year on the job. Parliament accepted her resignation on Tuesday and is expected to vote on her successor today.

Mr Zelensky has given little explanation for the move so far, apart from saying the aim is to refresh the leadership.

Ms Svyrydenko's removal triggered the resignation of the whole government.

Parliament names the ‌prime minister and is likely to accept Mr Zelensky's preferred candidate as ⁠prime minister as his Servant of the People party controls a majority.

Two killed in Russian strikes on Kyiv

Russian strikes on Kyiv have killed two people and wounded at least five others, including a child, Ukrainian emergency services said, after explosions rocked the capital shortly after midnight.

The attack is the latest in Russia's near-daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities, as Moscow presses its invasion which is now in its fifth year.

AFP journalists in Kyiv heard a series of explosions after a Ukrainian air force alert reported the approach of several ballistic missiles.

There were a number of bright flashes in the sky over Ukraine's capital, followed by half a dozen detonations, they said.

Ukraine's state emergency service said five people were wounded and that the Sviatoshynskyi and Darnytskyi districts were hit.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived at a Kyiv train station hours after strikes were reported in the capital.

He had travelled into the country via an overnight train and was met by Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis and Directorate General for State Protocol Olena Yalova.

At the same time, Kharkiv, the main city in northeast Ukraine, was hit by combat drones, its mayor said.

Kyiv has been regularly targeted by Russian ballistic missiles since last month. The weapons are fast and difficult to intercept.

During bombardments, missiles are fired in successive salvoes and blasts occur in quick succession.

Kyiv is suffering in particular from a shortage of PAC-3 missiles for its US-designed Patriot systems, which are essential for intercepting ballistic projectiles.

US President Donald Trump announced last week that he intended to authorise Ukraine to produce missiles for Patriot defence systems.

Mr Zelensky, said yesterday that production could begin by the end of this year to strengthen the country's defences against Russian ballistic strikes.