KYIV — President Volodymyr Zelensky ousted the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces on Tuesday,days after abruptly dismissing the country’s defense minister, who won praise as the architect of Ukraine’s increasingly successful long-range drone assaults on Russia.
Zelensky appointed Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to replace Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, who had led the military since February 2024, winning a reputation as a loyalist to the president.
“We all share the same desire — to defeat the enemy and create conditions on the front lines and through pressure on Russia that would force Russia to make peace,” Zelensky said in a statement announcing the change in Ukraine’s wartime leadership. “Tomorrow we will formalize all decisions.”
Syrsky’s dismissal comes amid days of political turmoil in Ukraine, following Zelensky’s sacking last week of popular defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Zelensky said communications between Fedorov and Syrsky had broken down and appeared to side with the general in dismissing the defense minister, who had served in the role for only six months.
The shake-up has exposed a bitter generational divide among top leaders just as Ukraine’s armed forces appeared to be gaining battlefield advantages against Russia.
The defense minister’s firing sparked widespread protests in Kyiv and other cities. Demonstrators said they feared the move could undermine Ukraine’s war effort and called for his reinstatement.
Zelensky met over the weekend with several senior officers considered contenders to command the military, including Brig. Gen. Oleh Apostol, commander of the Air Assault Forces; Maj. Gen. Volodymyr Horbatiuk, deputy chief of the General Staff; and Drapatyi.
Washington Post
