Keir Starmer arrives in Kyiv for farewell visit as British PM – Europe live

in Kyiv

I will give you a flavor of the demonstrations this morning in Kyiv against Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his bizarre decision to fire Mykhailo Fedorov, the defence minister.

View image in fullscreenA group of young people taking part in a protest against Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to fire defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov in Kyiv, Ukraine Photograph: Luke Harding/The Guardian

There are maybe 1000 people, 1000 plus, people already here in the summer sunshine right under Zelensky’s presidential office, and I’ve been talking to them about this decision.

They have basically been saying that they are furious, they are bewildered. They say Fedorov essentially represents openness and innovation and transparency, he has been very successful, and that it’s the kind of old forces, Soviet-style forces, who’ve got rid of him, and that that at heart this is about two things.

One is a conflict with Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander in chief, who they allege is involved in, or his generals are involved in, various kind of corruption schemes. People now saying Syrskyi out, keep Fedorov.

And the other is just personal rivalry; that Fedorov is very popular. He’s young, 35, and is regarded by some people here as a kind of future presidential leader. And that Zelensky has got rid of him for really just pretty blatant political reasons. At least that’s the critique here.

There are posters, cardboard placards saying: “for what?,” “Syrskyi out,” and so on.

View image in fullscreenJulia Gagarina taking part in a protest against Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to fire defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, with a placard saying “Is your head screwed on right?”, in Kyiv, Ukraine Photograph: Luke Harding/The Guardian

It’s a young crowd here. This is only the second big demonstration since the full-scale invasion against Zelensky, right on his doorstep.

And one final thing: a lot of people have been saying that it’s embarrassing for Starmer, and that Starmer has to raise the Fedovor issue with Zelenskyy if he wants to become Nato secretary general in the future.

We’ll have to see if that’s the case.