MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky said he had offered Mikhail Fyodorov a new government post amid protests in Ukrainian cities over his resignation as defense minister.

"I met with Mikhail Fyodorov today. I offered him a worthy position in government that would allow him to consolidate our country’s technological capabilities and ensure their continued development," Zelensky said in a video address posted on his Telegram channel.

He did not say whether Fyodorov had accepted the offer. Zelensky indicated that he sees Yevgeny Khmara as defense minister. Khmara was appointed acting head of the Defense Ministry following Fyodorov’s resignation and the subsequent outbreak of protests.

Fyodorov was removed as defense minister on July 14, partly because of a conflict with Ukrainian armed forces Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky. Protests against Fyodorov’s dismissal began in Ukrainian cities on July 16. The demonstrators gradually expanded their demands, calling not only for Fyodorov’s reinstatement but also for Syrsky’s removal. On the sixth day of protests, Zelensky announced Syrsky’s dismissal.