Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved to extinguish a political crisis on Thursday sparked by his dismissal of a reformist defense minister, tapping a security official who has overseen Ukraine¡¯s long-range strikes against Russia for the post.

Rare protests had erupted in Ukraine over the ouster of Mykhailo Fedorov in a surprise government reshuffle. The dismissal brought into the open a dispute between the young tech evangelist and Kyiv¡¯s top general during the president¡¯s second shake-up in a year.

Hundreds of people took to the streets ?in Kyiv and other cities to demand Fedorov ¡ª who has aimed to reshape Kyiv¡¯s outnumbered?army into a more efficient fighting force against Russia ¡ª be reappointed. A ?senior commander ?of Kyiv¡¯s air war had also resigned.