Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Zelensky wrote about the replacement of the Commander-in-Chief on Telegram:
“Together with Mykhailo (Drapatyi), Yevhenii Khmara and Pavlo Palisa, we have agreed on how the organisational structure of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should be reorganised.”
He made sure to offer some praise for Syrskyi:
“The fact is that Oleksandr Syrskyi secured decisive victories for Ukraine during the defence of Kyiv, the Kharkiv counteroffensive and the Kursk operation.”
Colonel General Syrskyi has served as Commander-in-Chief since February 2024.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi. Official portrait / Wikipedia
Syrskyi has come under heavy criticism in recent months and has been criticised for his “meat grinder” tactics, The Telegraph writes.
He earned the nickname “The Butcher” because of his attritional warfare tactics, which resulted in heavy losses among Ukrainian forces during the bloody and prolonged Battle of Bakhmut, which lasted from around July 2022 until May 2023.
Zelensky eventually yielded to pressure after several days of demonstrations in the streets of Kyiv by Ukrainians demanding Syrskyi’s resignation.
Several thousand demonstrators have over the past week protested outside the President’s Office in Kyiv, chanting “Syrskyi out”. (NTB-AFP-Reuters)
The demonstrators also demanded that Zelensky reinstate Mykhailo Fedorov, who was dismissed as Defence Minister last week after falling out with Syrskyi and the General Staff.
Fedorov has been widely credited with developing the drone strategy that has contributed to Ukraine’s advances in the war against Russia.
The 35-year-old Fedorov served as Defence Minister for only six months. Nevertheless, many believe he deserves much of the credit for strengthening Ukraine’s position on the battlefield in its fight against the Russian invasion forces.
Fedorov’s dismissal triggered a public backlash after he accused Colonel General Syrskyi of obstructing progress on his reforms. The result was that Fedorov was himself dismissed, a move that was not well received in Ukraine.
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Zelensky announced on Tuesday evening that Fedorov has been offered a “respectable position” with responsibility for defence technology. Fedorov was Minister of Digital Transformation when he was appointed Defence Minister in January.
The new Commander-in-Chief, Mykhailo Drapatyi, served as commander of the Ukrainian Army from 2024 to 2025.
He stepped down as army commander after a Russian strike on a training area killed twelve Ukrainian soldiers, and subsequently became commander of the Ukrainian Joint Forces.