Protests broke out in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities Thursday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved to dismiss Mykhailo Fedorov as Defense Minister. Fedorov, 35, is considered to be a modernizer whose technological expertise is credited in part with a significant improvement in Ukraine’s military performance in recent months against Russia’s bigger army. He leaves the government after just six months in the post, during which he has advocated for widespread internal reforms. The deputy commander of Ukraine’s air force, Col. Pavlo Yelizarov, quit over Fedorov’s dismissal. Zelenskyy didn’t publicly give a reason for Fedorov’s recently-anticipated exit and didn’t immediately name a successor. Unconfirmed Ukrainian media reports said that Fedorov had a strained relationship with Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, who is credited with initially organizing the defense of Kyiv in February 2022, and seven months later masterminded a successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region.

The move comes amid other major changes, as just days ago the government saw a major reshuffle and the appointment of a new prime minister. The shake-up could become a test of Zelenskyy’s political authority as Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches 4.5 years. He has remained in office under martial law, because wartime elections are prohibited and has periodically reshuffled his government, though not without domestic controversy.

Full report: Protesters rally in Kyiv as Zelenskyy moves to oust Ukraine’s defense minister.