Ukraine war briefing: Protests of Fedorov’s dismissal continue as Zelenskyy tries to repair rift with Poland

For a second day, thousands of Ukrainians have taken to the streets to protest against the sudden removal of popular and innovative defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who has clashed with the more conventional military chief of staff, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Several thousand people gathered outside ⁠the presidential office after Fedorov was not reappointed in the surprise government reshuffle. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has defended his decision, saying he was forced “to choose between sides [when honestly] what I want most is unity”.

The move, which comes just as Kyiv appeared to be gaining some advantages in its war with Russia, has exposed a troubling flaw in the president’s leadership, and startled senior European officials. As Guardian senior international correspondent Peter Beaumont writes, the move 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.”

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy on Friday 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 open intelligence files. Zelenskyy ⁠told a meeting of senior officials that improved ties were critical in view of 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”.

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.

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.