"Until July 24 we are awaiting decisions": veteran Kozyatynskyi urged Ukrainians to take to the squares

A veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, a former combat medic of the medical service “Ulf” of the battalion “Wolves Da Vinci” Dmytro Kozyatynskyi called on Ukrainians to go out to the central squares of their cities on 20 July 2026 for a symbolic action reminding the authorities of previously put forward demands.

This was reported by Serhii Sternenko.

This concerns the dismissal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi and the submission of the candidacy of the former Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov for reappointment to this post.

As of 20 July Oleksandr Syrskyi remains the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov has caused public protests and discussions about military leadership.

Dmytro Kozyatynskyi said that the current action is symbolic, but in the absence of personnel decisions the protest may become indefinite.

“We want to go out to the squares and clearly convey our position to the president: if by Friday, 24 July, Syrskyi is not dismissed and Fedorov’s candidacy is not submitted for the post of Minister of Defense, we will begin a general indefinite protest”.

Earlier Dmytro Kozyatynskyi became one of the public initiators of the actions after Mykhailo Fedorov’s resignation. After his calls for protests, servicewoman Alina Mykhailova said that representatives of the Command of Unmanned Systems tried to find out which unit he served in, although the veteran left the army about a year ago.

Protest participants set Friday, 24 July 2026 as the deadline for meeting the demands. If no personnel decisions are made by that date, Dmytro Kozyatynskyi promises to declare a general indefinite protest.

Earlier we wrote:

• “It could cost positions and rank”: a servicewoman said about persecution for supporting protests
• Lies, chaos and “the man with the baton”: Fedorov accused Syrskyi of dividing Ukraine
• The Ministry of Defense and the General Staff “were fighting each other”: Zelensky sacrificed Fedorov
• 22 victories and three shortcomings: Fedorov reported and left the Ministry of Defense
• Drones, procurements and the struggle for influence: why Fedorov quarreled with the generals