In a major shakeup to Ukraine’s top military leadership that follows days of public unrest, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the dismissal of Oleksandr Syrsky, the country’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The 60-year-old Soviet-trained commander, who had held the post only since early 2024, will be replaced by Mykhailo Drapaty, the current head of Ukraine’s Joint Forces Command, Zelensky confirmed via an official post on Telegram Tuesday.
Syrsky is one of Ukraine’s most seasoned military figures, best known for leading the successful defense of Kyiv during the opening weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. But his tenure became increasingly contentious following Zelensky’s removal of 35-year-old Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov earlier this month, a young reformer who had gained widespread public popularity for his work modernizing Ukraine’s fighting forces. Fedorov, who was ousted just six months after taking on the defense portfolio, directly accused Syrsky of undermining his reform agenda, blocking his policy initiatives, and pressuring Zelensky to remove him from office – claims Syrsky rejected outright.
Fedotov’s dismissal sparked thousands of protests across Ukraine, with demonstrators voicing frustration over stalled military reforms and openly calling for Syrsky to step down. For a period, Zelensky, who has long been wary of potential political rivals within the military leadership, resisted growing pressure to remove Syrsky. Analysts speaking to Agence France-Presse note that unlike Syrsky’s predecessor Valery Zaluzhny, an extremely popular commander who posed a perceived political threat to Zelensky, Syrsky never represented a direct political challenge. Still, he faced widespread criticism from reform advocates over his reluctance to overhaul military procurement, equipment distribution, and mobilization systems, as well as accusations that he had not done enough to prevent excessive troop casualties.
The incoming commander, 43-year-old Drapaty, is a decorated Major General with deep combat experience stretching back to the start of the Donbas war in 2014. He rose to national fame after a widely shared video showed him ramming an armored vehicle through a pro-Russian separatist checkpoint in Mariupol during the early 2014 skirmishes. Drapaty has previously commanded Ukraine’s Ground Forces and built a reputation as a combat-hardened, forward-thinking leader. In a Facebook post confirming his appointment, Drapaty emphasized the weight of his new role, writing: “Serving Ukraine has always been an honour for me, and during the war for independence it means absolute responsibility. Glory to the nation. Death to the enemies.”
Fedorov, the ousted defense minister whose removal triggered the unrest, has welcomed Drapaty’s appointment, framing it as a positive shift for Ukraine’s war effort. “This is a breath of fresh air and a new hope in the struggle of free people for freedom and justice,” Fedorov said on social media.
The leadership reshuffle comes at a pivotal moment in the war. In recent months, Ukrainian forces have successfully slowed Russian territorial advances to a near standstill, while long-range Ukrainian strikes have targeted key Russian oil infrastructure, including multiple refineries that Kyiv says directly fuel Russia’s invasion campaign. At the same time, both sides have ramped up aerial strikes across frontline and rear areas, with the United Nations reporting a sharp spike in civilian casualties in Ukraine over the past two months. Drapaty’s appointment makes him the third person to hold the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.