On Saturday, August 1, 2026, the seventeenth day of continuous peaceful protests continues in Kyiv and several major cities across Ukraine. These mass events, dubbed "cardboard protests" in the media, began on July 16 following the resignation of Mykhailo Fedorov from his post as Minister of Defense of Ukraine. In the capital, despite the aftermath of overnight missile strikes, civilian activists and veterans have once again gathered at Ivan Franko Square with placards demanding the resumption of dialogue between the Office of the President and the defense sector.
The campaign, united around the lines of the national anthem regarding the readiness to stand for one's rights to the end, has already forced the authorities to make personnel concessions. Previously, under street pressure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, appointing General Mykhailo Drapatyi to his place. Nevertheless, the issue of leadership at the Ministry of Defense remains frozen — the department is temporarily led by Yevhen Khmara.
Mykhailo Fedorov himself, in his latest interview, officially refused to personally coordinate or attend street rallies, explaining this by his unwillingness to artificially politicize defense processes during martial law. At the same time, the former minister confirmed that he categorically refused alternative employment offers within the government and is ready to return to work exclusively as the head of the Ministry of Defense, where he could continue the technological reforms he initiated.
Protest organizers state that rallies in the central squares of cities will remain daily until the personnel crisis in the military leadership is finally resolved. On the evening of July 31, on the eve of the 17th day, Kyiv saw the largest march since the start of the protests — thousands of people marched from the Shevchenko Monument to Ivan Franko Square, demanding a transparent dialogue between the authorities and society.
