Protesters rally in Kyiv as Zelenskyy moves to oust Ukraine's defence minister

Kyiv, Jul 16 (AP) Protesters gathered in downtown Kyiv on Thursday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved to dismiss his defence minister as parliament convened to appoint a new prime minister as part of a major government reshuffle. The shake-up could become a test of Zelenskyy's political authority as Ukraine's fight against Russia's full-scale invasion approaches 4½ years. Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whose technological expertise is credited in part with a significant improvement in Ukraine's military performance in recent months against Russia's bigger army, was expected to leave the government after just six months in the post. Before he became defense minister last January, 35-year-old Fedorov was the head of Ukraine's digital transformation policies and seen as a modernizer. He won public popularity by spearheading Ukraine's speedy development and deployment of drone technology and introducing several successful e-government platforms. He also promised sweeping military reforms, saying after he took over that the military had faced about 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people. Zelenskyy didn't formally announce Fedorov's departure. However, Fedorov listed his achievements in office in social media posts late Wednesday, after days of unconfirmed Ukrainian media reports that he was on his way out. Zelenskyy also nominated Naftogaz CEO Serhii Koretskyi to take over as prime minister, parliamentary Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said in a social media post late Wednesday. Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Koretskyi was the most appropriate candidate for the government's priority of preparing Ukraine for another difficult winter. He cited the Naftogaz chief's experience in the energy sector. (AP) AMS