Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, appointing Joint Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapaty as his replacement amid growing tensions within the country’s military leadership.
Zelensky announced the appointment on Tuesday, thanking Syrsky for his service and praising Ukrainian troops for maintaining strong positions on the frontline.
“I have decided that the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapaty,” Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.
“I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrsky and to each of our warriors for Ukraine’s strong frontline positions,” he added.
Syrsky, 60, had served as army chief since 2024 and was one of Ukraine’s most experienced commanders, having led the successful defence of Kyiv during the early stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
His dismissal follows a political crisis sparked by the removal of former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who accused Syrsky of obstructing military reforms and influencing President Zelensky to remove him from office. Syrsky denied the allegations.
The dispute exposed rare divisions within Ukraine’s political and military leadership at a time when Kyiv has made gains in slowing Russian advances and intensifying long-range strikes on Russian military and energy infrastructure.
Drapaty, 43, is a decorated major general who previously commanded Ukraine’s Ground Forces and fought against Russian-backed separatists during the conflict in eastern Ukraine. He is widely known for a 2014 incident in which he reportedly drove an armoured vehicle through a separatist checkpoint in Mariupol.
“Serving Ukraine has always been an honour for me, and during the war for independence it means absolute responsibility,” he said in a Facebook post.
Former Defence Minister Fedorov welcomed the appointment, describing it as “a breath of fresh air” and expressing hope that it would strengthen Ukraine’s defence efforts.
Fedorov’s dismissal last week triggered protests across Ukraine, with demonstrators demanding greater military reforms and calling for Syrsky’s removal.
Analysts said Syrsky, unlike his predecessor Valery Zaluzhny, was not viewed as a political rival to Zelensky. However, he had faced criticism over battlefield casualties and the slow pace of reforms in procurement, mobilisation and military equipment.
Drapaty becomes Ukraine’s third commander-in-chief since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The leadership change comes as both Russia and Ukraine continue to intensify aerial attacks, with the United Nations recently reporting an increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine.
