Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he had dismissed army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and replaced him with the widely popular joint forces commander, Mykhailo Drapatyi.
The move comes after several days of protests in support of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was removed from office on 14 July.
Fedorov had accused Syrskyi of forcing him out and obstructing his efforts to reform the army, fuelling discontent within Ukraine’s political and military leadership.
Syrskyi, 60, had served as commander-in-chief since 2024 and is regarded as one of Ukraine’s most experienced military leaders.
He notably oversaw the defence of Kyiv at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
However, Syrskyi, who was born in Russia and trained in Moscow, never fully shook off his reputation as a Soviet-style general.
His critics have accused him of showing little regard for casualties, earning him the nickname “the butcher.”
“I have decided that the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapatyi… I thank Oleksandr Syrskyi and all our soldiers for Ukraine’s strong frontline positions,” Zelenskyy said in a message posted on Telegram on Tuesday evening.
Despite the political tensions, Ukraine’s position on the battlefield has recently improved.
Its forces have significantly slowed Russian advances and have carried out effective waves of strikes inside Russia and in occupied parts of Ukrainian territory.
