The Ukrainian work-protest balance
The city of Kyiv gives “working remotely” a new meaning after today’s controversial Cabinet of Ministers shuffle. More than 1,000 people protested in Kyiv against the dismissal of the Defense Minister
Editor’s Note:
Today, Kyiv is buzzing with political uncertainty as protests unfold over the government’s latest shake-up. While headlines will tell you what happened, our team is on the ground talking to the people living through it.
Will you support us?
OUR LEAD STORY:
KYIV, Ukraine – Amidst over a thousand protesters in the center of Kyiv, Denys Pidhornyi sat behind a fold-up table, staring intently at his laptop and answering calls as they came in. He was hard at work, as usual, but today, he was working outside of President Zelenskyy’s office.
Denys, 27, believed he had a duty to his work managing projects at an unnamed R&D hardware company, but also a civil duty as a Ukrainian citizen to tell his government that they made a mistake. He brought his own portable power supply, a desk, a computer, food and water.
“I decided yesterday that I had to come, but I also couldn’t skip work. So I packed everything I needed to work and came here.”
Denys has a remote job, which means he can work from anywhere — including smack in the center of a massive protest over Zelenskyy dismissing Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov.
Zelenskyy’s decision to replace Fedorov — though we don’t yet know with whom — sparked mass protests across Ukraine on the morning of July 16, with more than 1,000 protesters near the Office of the President in Kyiv.
Ukrainian protesters chant “Fedorov” near the President’s Office in Kyiv on July 16. Video by The Counteroffensive.
Fedorov’s term lasted less than 6 months and was marked by the development of Ukrainian middle- and deep-strike capabilities, as well as the digitalization of various military processes. Many are frustrated that Zelenskyy, without giving an explicit reasoning, dismissed a politician they deemed an effective wartime MoD. This is not just any position, but one making decisions about defense in a country where successful defense can be life or death for everyday citizens.
Despite facing some criticism, including of his army reforms and his failure to impact mobilization methods, on Thursday, a workday, Ukrainians took to the streets in his defense.
While some marched, others brought their laptops and turned one of the biggest protests during the full-scale invasion into a co-working space of sorts — their obligations to their jobs could not trump the pull to fight for a functional democracy in Ukraine.
Denys is very vocal in his support for the now-former Defense Minister.
“As a citizen, I can simply see the difference between how things were before and how they are now,” he said.
The dismissal occurred amid rising tensions between the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Fedorov, who held different views on the course of the war. Mykhailo Fedorov is viewed by the public as a tech innovator who could flip the tables with drones and asymmetric warfare, whereas Oleksandr Syrskyi, the general, is portrayed as an adept of classic warfare means, focused on ground assaults.
During an official press briefing on July 16, while Denys worked remotely outdoors, Fedorov spent a significant chunk of time criticizing Syrskyi, saying that many reforms in the Ministry of Defense were significantly slowed down by the general.
“We found that every initiative we proposed started being blocked... [Syrskyi] is willing to attend private meetings, engage in intrigue, and believe that someone orchestrated a media campaign, instead of recognizing that the problem lies in the actions being taken,” he said.
Fedorov formally announced his resignation on the evening of Wednesday, July 15 which meant that the protest was scheduled for Thursday morning — a work day.
“I can’t stop working, but I also couldn’t miss something like this. So that’s why I’m here today, in this situation,” Denys explained. But, to make life easier for him, he brought a chair, a camping table, a ‘BlueYeti’ reserve power supply, paper cups, and water to hydrate the protesters around him. He even had some bananas on the table that people could take, free of charge.
And, of course, he brought his own cardboard signs, which read, “Working and supporting Fedorov” and “Charge gadget, drink water.”
Denys, a real outdoorsman, purchased his camping table with the hope of going on a trip, but with his current work schedule, this protest turned out to be this table’s first outing.
While the core audience was people in their 20s and 30s, there were also older protesters, as well as parents with their children. Almost everyone was carrying a piece of cardboard with writing that supported Fedorov or criticized Zelenskyy, often riddled with expletives. Even children carried signs, one of which read, “This is my first protest,” and another, “Protest instead of summer break.”
Ukrainians who came to the protests give Fedorov credit for the recent drone operation in Crimea. It disrupted Russian logistics in the occupied peninsula and southern occupied settlements, as well as created a major gas shortage, something unseen before.
Russians also lost access to Starlink connection in the first month after Fedorov’s appointment. Without Startlink, Russians partially lost live control of drones deep inside Ukraine, and Fedorov is largely credited for this Ukrainian win.
He is considered to have been a Defense Minister who sought to tackle corruption in the ministry by introducing tender-based defense procurement to prevent corruption schemes.
Protesters chanting “Made it wrong, now make it right!”. Video by The Counteroffensive.
The idea to haul a portable desk to the center of the city in support of Fedorov was unique to Denys, but simultaneously working and protesting was not. Amongst the crowd was a product designer at First Ukrainian International Bank, Oleksandr Bovlianko, who sat cross-legged in the grass under a shady tree wearing a baseball cap and square glasses with his computer in his lap.
“We’re moving away from fighting with people and toward fighting with technology,” Oleksandr said. “I can see this trend and this approach being actively pushed since Fedorov came in. And I directly associate his appointment with these positive changes.”
He’s frustrated by the quick turnover — Fedorov’s term as Defense Minister was just six months long before this shuffle.
“At the very least, he needs to be given more time so he can finish what he started,” said Oleksandr.
Under martial law, Ukraine has no election process, so Oleksandr feels as though protesting is the only lever of influence he has over authorities.
“The work still has to be done,” he said. “But my inner voice tells me that I have to express my views and my outrage in person
Also in the grass outside Zelenskyy’s office, laptop-out, was Anastasiia Drapaliuk, head of the Nature Fund of Ukraine, perched against a tree with a cardboard sign laid near her foot. She was working remotely from the protests, not necessarily in support of Fedorov as an individual but as a citizen concerned about the lack of transparency in Ukraine’s government.
“When the only person in the government who is working effectively is dismissed, it raises questions about the country’s top leadership—where they’re heading and what they’re trying to achieve,” Anastasiia said.
Both Oleksandr and Anastasiia participated in the protests in 2013–2014 at Maidan during the Revolution of Dignity, when more than one million people gathered in the Kyiv city center to protest against an attempt to put Ukraine back on pro-Russian course. More than one hundred people were shot dead in the clashes with special police forces.
She sees these protests, both in 2014 and this time around, as an opportunity for the rest of Europe to watch and learn from the way Ukrainians protest. “We’ve already mastered it—and now we can teach them.”
Back at Denys’ ‘desk, a young guy wearing sports sunglasses came by and asked to charge his phone. Denys promptly plugged this stranger’s phone in. Another random protester brought a pack of water bottles to Denys, put them under the table for shade, and uttered a single phrase, “realize,” which instructed Denys to give them away.
The whole protest had a distinct spirit of camaraderie — everyone was collected and polite. There were many more people offering free water, as well as volunteers with the field kitchen, offering soup and a piece of bread, once again, completely free of charge.
A sense of urgency and common problems were in the air. It was clear from the atmosphere that people were backing now-former Defense Minister Fedorov while protesting the way in which he was sacked. People were chanting, “made it wrong, now make it,” “listen to the people,” and “Syrskyi, out!” There were also customary patriotic chants, and at one point, the crowd came together to sing the Ukrainian national anthem.
As for now, it is not known who will replace Fedorov in the MoD. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not yet proposed a new candidate to parliament, saying that Ihor Klymenko, previously predicted to take the position, is only one of the options.
For now, Zelenskyy has instructed Yevhen Khmara, who also serves as head of the SBU, to perform the duties of the Minister of Defense.
The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, is reportedly taking a month-long break, during which it will search for another candidate for the Minister of Defense position, rather than Klymenko. A vote on a new Minister of Defense might take place on August 18, if it does not take place today.
Denys was also there representing the soldiers that were not able to attend the protest in person.
“Some of them even asked me to come out here if I had the chance, because they don’t,” he said.
The nature of his remote job allowed Denys to continue with his day while fighting for what he believes in.
“Well, I can’t exactly call in sick,” he said.
Editor’s Note:
Today, Kyiv is buzzing with political uncertainty as protests unfold over the government’s latest shake-up. While headlines will tell you what happened, our team is on the ground talking to the people living through it.
Will you support us?
Live from Kyiv: Inside the protests outside Zelenskyy’s office
Our reporter, Mariana, brings us to the scene of the hundreds of people gathered outside the president’s office. She explains what people are chanting for, how lawmakers are reacting to Fedorov’s dismissal, and even translates their signs from Ukrainian into English.
DOG OF WAR
Petro spotted this dog at the protest today. The owner wrapped it in the Ukrainian flag to show support for the protesters.
Stay safe out there!
Best,
Petro, Mariana, Jackie
 | A guest post by
|
Aren’t these reporters amazing?
Courage! Perhaps Zelensky will reverse this decision as happened before. Keep at it!