'Syrskyi the Meat Grinder and MPs on holiday': Ukrainian woman from Lviv explains why Ukrainians took to the streets

Street protests against decisions made by President Volodymyr Zelensky are continuing in Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipro and Odesa, and according to participants, the anger goes far beyond the dismissal of Defence Minister Fedorov. This is according to Sofia Bozhenkova, a young doctor who has been taking part in the daily protests in Lviv.

"The president fired the defence minister who was responsible for digitising the army. Thanks to him, the Ukrainian army became modern and learned to use drones effectively — something Russia wasn't prepared for. Ukraine was achieving successes, and Fedorov's popularity was growing. That's exactly why Zelensky got rid of him," Bozhenkova said, describing the essence of the conflict.

According to her, the protesters come from all generations, though people under 35 make up the majority. Sources close to the president say Zelensky did not expect discontent on this scale.

Bozhenkova herself admits that Fedorov isn't really the issue for her personally — what irritates her more is the figure of the new commander-in-chief, Syrskyi. "He's a generation older than his predecessor. He doesn't understand modern defence technology. The only thing he does is send people to the front. And they die there. They've nicknamed him 'the Meat Grinder,'" she said.

Another source of frustration is the month-long recess that MPs have granted themselves. People are outraged that soldiers on the front line aren't given even a single day off, while elected officials head abroad for a month-long holiday.

Sofia has lived in Czechia for seven years now and plans to stay — this year she graduated from medical school. "A higher quality of life and better career opportunities are why I went to study at Charles University. But Ukraine remains my homeland. My relatives live there. I will never be indifferent to what's happening there. And Czechs shouldn't be indifferent either. Ukraine is their shield. If Russia, God forbid, breaks through us, it won't stop there. And NATO won't stop it either," she believes.

The protests in Lviv are taking place in the city centre. "There are a lot of young people here, but I also met a ninety-year-old man. His placard read: 'Let the Soviet Union leave.' But he didn't mean the state or Russia as such — he meant what's still left in us from Soviet times," Bozhenkova said.

The symbol of the current protests has become the homemade cardboard placards with handwritten slogans. "It's the only voice that can be heard in Ukraine — people with cardboard signs. In Russia, it wouldn't even be possible to go out — the police would haul them away immediately. Here, thankfully, that doesn't happen. The president has already said he hears what people want from him. But so far, we don't quite believe him," she noted.

In her view, people are ready to stand with their placards even during air strikes — until they are heard. "If they don't bring Fedorov back and leave Syrskyi in charge, Russia will be at Czechia's borders within six months. I'm not joking. And on the front, all the young men who are supposed to defend us are dying. That's why people are determined to stand their ground to the end," Sofia Bozhenkova concluded.

Source: novinky.cz