Zelenskyy Replaces Armed Forces Commander, Appointing Drapaty Over Syrskyi

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has replaced the commander of the armed forces, appointing Mykhailo Drapaty to succeed Oleksandr Syrskyi amid a high-level ministerial conflict.

Zelenskyy Appoints Drapaty as New Commander

“I have decided that Mykhailo Drapaty will become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy stated.

“I thank Oleksandr Syrskyi and every one of our soldiers for Ukraine’s strong positions on the front line. I thank Mykhailo Drapaty precisely for such a perspective,” the Ukrainian president added.

Ministry Conflict and Dismissals

Syrskyi departs and Drapaty takes over command against the backdrop of a conflict in the defense ministry.

The change in the post of commander-in-chief came after a wave of protests that broke out in mid-July in reaction to the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. He claimed that Oleksandr Syrskyi was blocking his attempts to reform the defense ministry and was making demands on him—the dispute concerned, among other things, the direction of development of the Ukrainian army.

Zelenskyy also reported on Tuesday that he had offered Fedorov a new position in the state administration related to the development of the state’s technological potential. “I also met with Mykhailo Fedorov today. I offered him a responsible position in the state administration that would allow us to integrate the technological potential of our state and ensure its further development,” the leader reported.

According to the Financial Times, the conflict between the army commander-in-chief and the defense minister was one of the reasons for the latter’s resignation on July 14, along with the replacement of the government of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. As defense minister, Fedorov gained great popularity by implementing new, innovative ways of waging war against Russia, working to change the corrupted arms procurement system, and introducing tenders for most orders.

Syrskyi had served as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army since February 2024, when General Valerii Zaluzhnyi was dismissed from the post and subsequently took up the position of Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Who is Mykhailo Drapaty?

The new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is a 43-year-old major general born in Kamianets-Podilskyi, who has been fighting Russian forces since 2014. He commanded the 58th Separate Motorized Brigade, among other units, and after the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, he held successive command positions, including the “Kherson” operational group.

In February 2024, he became deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for military training. In May 2024, he assumed command of the “Kharkiv” operational-tactical group of troops, and then commanded the “Luhansk” group. In November 2024, Zelenskyy appointed him commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in January 2025, he additionally entrusted him with the command of the “Khortytsia” operational-strategic group of troops while retaining his position as commander of the Ground Forces.

On June 1, 2025, Drapaty submitted his resignation as commander of the Ground Forces following a Russian attack on a Ukrainian military training ground that killed 12 soldiers. At the time, he spoke openly that he had failed to break the culture of impunity and avoidance of responsibility in the army. On June 3, 2025, he was dismissed from this position and on the same day appointed commander of the Joint Forces Group of Ukraine, coordinating the actions of all branches of the armed forces in the most important sectors of the front.