New Delhi, July 16 -- Public protests broke out across Ukraine on Thursday following the removal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, as a growing disagreement between the reform-focused official and Kyiv's top military leadership became more visible during President Volodymyr Zelensky's second wartime cabinet reshuffle in a year.

Speculation that Fedorov's removal was linked to disagreements between him and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi was effectively confirmed by statements from both Fedorov and Zelensky.

Zelensky's decision to leave out Fedorov from the new government lineup sparked public frustration, with many supporters backing the 35-year-old technology expert, who had been working to modernise Ukraine's under-equipped m...