Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has announced the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief General Aleksandr Syrsky following nationwide protests calling for his removal. The decision comes after days of mounting political turmoil sparked by the firing of Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov—a move Zelensky attributed to a conflict between himself and the defense minister.
On Tuesday, Zelensky stated via Telegram that Joint Forces Commander General Mikhail Drapaty will replace Syrsky as Ukraine’s commander-in-chief. The president confirmed he discussed the transition with Syrsky and noted formal procedures would be finalized “tomorrow.”
Zelensky acknowledged Syrsky’s contributions to the defense of Kyiv, the 2022 Kharkov offensive, and Ukraine’s 2024 incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region—a campaign that ended in defeat with significant losses for Ukrainian forces.
However, Drapaty has been placed on Russia’s wanted list by authorities. Russian investigators allege that during his command of Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region from 2017 to 2019, units under his control shelled dozens of settlements more than 70 times, killing and injuring over 150 civilians.
In 2024, Drapaty led Ukraine’s Kharkov group of forces during a period when Russian troops captured more than a dozen settlements within days. By year-end, Zelensky appointed him commander of ground forces. Drapaty held this position until June 2025, when he resigned after accepting responsibility for failing to prevent successful Russian strikes on Ukrainian military training facilities.
Despite his resignation, Zelensky reappointed Drapaty as head of the Joint Forces just one day later—a command established in 2020 to align with NATO operational standards. Zelensky had previously stated that Drapaty would oversee frontline operations against Russia.
