Thousands of protesters thronged Central Kyiv in Ukraine on Friday, demanding the reinstatement of Mykhailo Fedorov, a former defence minister who was credited with the gains on the frontlines in the war with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy removed Mr Fedorov in mid-July with a vague explanation that did not adequately justify the reassignment of a warchief who had inflicted maximum damage on Russia without suffering many human casualties.

Mr Fedorov had advocated the use of drones and other technology weapons to fight Russia clashing with older military chiefs who still favour traditional war strategies and weapons.

Mr Fedorov further made statements that suggest some military contractors were corrupt and leveraging the war to build wealth. 

Mr Zelenskyy had initially said  he removed Mr Fedorov over an unresolved clash with then-Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom he subsequently let go as well after a backlash. 

He appointed ‌Yevhenii Khmara, the acting head of the state security service, to replace Mr Fedorov as acting defence minister. 

Mr Zelenskyy offered the sacked defence minister another role but Mr Fedorov rejected it, asserting he was only willing to serve in the capacity of defence minister.

The decision did not assuage concerns as protesters marched on the streets for the sixteenth day in a row, demanding that Mr Zelensky reverse the termination.

Protesters want Mr Zelenskyy to give Mr Fedorov a year to implement his military reforms, after which his result be judged and compared with that of his predecessor.