Ukraine's Zelensky dismisses General Syrskyi, names Drapatyi as new army chief after street protests

Government reshuffle triggers crisis

On 12 July, President Zelensky announced a government reshuffle, replacing Prime Minister Iulia Sviridenko with Serhii Koretskyi, former head of Naftogaz. The move was framed as a technocratic update. But the dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a 35-year-old reformist who championed drone warfare and digital transformation, ignited public anger. Fedorov had served only six months in the defence post but was widely popular for his push to modernise the military.

Protests erupt across Ukraine

Within days, thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets in at least 16 cities, a rare display of dissent during wartime. Protesters demanded the removal of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom they blamed for Fedorov's ouster, and called for Fedorov's reinstatement. Syrskyi, 60, had long faced criticism for a rigid, Soviet-style command that allegedly caused excessive casualties, earning him the nickname "butcher". The protests lasted six days.

Syrskyi dismissed, Drapatyi appointed

On Tuesday, 21 July, Zelensky dismissed Syrskyi and appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, as the new commander-in-chief. In a statement, Zelensky acknowledged Syrskyi's role in defending Kyiv, the Kharkiv counteroffensive, and the Kursk operation, but the decision was widely seen as a response to the street pressure. Syrskyi, in a farewell post on X, highlighted recapturing over 700 km² of territory this year and said he was handing over an army "not only holding defence but also on the offensive."

Oleksandr Syrskyi contributed to some of Ukraine's most important military successes, including the defence of Kyiv, the counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, and the Kursk operation. I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and each of our fighters for the strong positions Ukraine holds on the front.

Who is Mykhailo Drapatyi?

Drapatyi began his career as a tank lieutenant at 21 and rose through the ranks over 26 years. He gained national fame in 2014 during the Donbas fighting when he ordered his BMP infantry fighting vehicle to smash through a separatist barricade in Mariupol to rescue besieged police officers. Later that year, he led an encircled unit to safety through Russian-held territory. After the full-scale invasion, he was repeatedly sent to stabilise critical front sectors: in mid-2024 he halted a Russian offensive near Kharkiv and became the youngest commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces. He resigned in June 2025 after a Russian strike on a training centre killed at least 12 soldiers, saying a commander must take personal responsibility for losses. He then served as commander of joint forces in the north-east.

An army where commanders take personal responsibility for the lives of their people is a living force. An army where no one is held accountable for human losses extinguishes itself from within.

New commander's agenda and challenges

On 22 July, Drapatyi outlined his mission: to intensify offensive operations, plan new actions behind enemy lines, develop army technology, and strengthen the armed forces. He also announced Major General Ihor Skybiuk as the new Chief of the General Staff. Drapatyi inherits a military grappling with manpower shortages, a rapidly evolving drone war, and the need to reform a top-down command culture. Former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, now ambassador to the UK, warned that the task would be "much more difficult than he imagines."

The new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will have an incredibly difficult task — much more difficult than he imagines.

Russia reacts with arrest warrant

Hours after Drapatyi's appointment, Russia's Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for him, according to state media. Russia's Investigative Committee had charged him in 2023 over the deaths of 154 people in eastern Ukraine between 2017 and 2019. Russian military blogger Kirill Fedorov, with nearly 500,000 subscribers, shared footage of Drapatyi's 2014 Mariupol breakthrough, commenting that the general "truly hates us."

He truly hates us.