Breaking: Zelensky dismisses Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi after widespread protests, appoints Drapatyi

President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 21 dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, appointing Joint Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi as his replacement.

The move comes amid ongoing mass protests in Kyiv and across Ukraine, in which demonstrators have demanded that Syrskyi be removed from his post.

Zelensky thanked Syrskyi for his service, praising his role in some of Ukraine's most significant military operations during the full-scale war.

"Oleksandr Syrskyi ensured Ukraine's results in the defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv counteroffensive, and the Kursk operation," Zelensky said.

"A significant path has been traveled. The defense of Ukraine continues, and every warrior deserves dignified treatment. I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to every one of our soldiers for Ukraine's strong frontline positions," he added.

Public anger at Syrskyi erupted after Zelensky ousted popular reformist Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov last week.

Fedorov said during a press conference the day after his ouster that Syrskyi had issued an ultimatum to Zelensky.

Ukrainians have held daily protests since July 16, opposing the removal of Fedorov, one of the country's youngest and most popular senior officials. One of the protest's organizers, veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi, told the Kyiv Independent on July 20 the movement now had two clear demands: reinstating Fedorov as defense minister and removing Syrskyi as commander-in-chief.

Tensions between the two had been expected since Fedorov's appointment and reflected different approaches to military leadership and organizational culture.

Syrskyi has favored a highly centralized command structure rooted in Soviet military doctrine. He has faced criticism from soldiers and analysts for micromanagement and for fostering what critics describe as a Soviet-style command culture.

Zelensky's latest decisions have drawn criticism from lawmakers, veterans, and members of the public, many of whom have argued that removing Fedorov risks undermining reforms at the Defense Ministry while leaving concerns about military leadership.

Drapatyi, 43, has earned a reputation as one of Ukraine's most respected senior commanders and was widely viewed by protesters, soldiers, and veterans as the leading candidate to replace Syrskyi.

Unlike Syrskyi's centralized command style, Drapatyi has advocated greater initiative among subordinate commanders, faster decision-making, and greater accountability within the military.

He publicly backed Fedorov's reform efforts after his dismissal, arguing that "the military needs change" and warning that "a commander has no right to remain silent about problems" when people's lives are at stake.

During Russia's full-scale invasion, Drapatyi helped organize the defense of Kryvyi Rih, played a key role in the liberation of Kherson, and later led Ukraine's response to Russia's 2024 offensive in Kharkiv Oblast.

Drapatyi thanked Zelensky for entrusting him with the role, calling it a new stage of service and pledging to lead with responsibility.

"Serving Ukraine has always been an honor for me, and during the war for independence it means absolute responsibility," Drapatyi said in a Facebook post following the announcement.

"I will work responsibly, with focus, and with respect for the people who are defending our state today."

He also expressed gratitude to Syrskyi, crediting him with helping shape his military career.

Fedorov welcomed Drapatyi's appointment, calling it "new air and new hope in the struggle of free people for freedom and justice."

"This is the voice of change that could not go unheard," Fedorov added.

Oleksandr Syrskyi

Syrskyi was born in the tiny Russian village of Novinki, Vladimir Oblast, in 1965. Syrskyi's father served in the Soviet Army and was transferred to Kharkiv, in the then-Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, when Syrskyi was 15.

He graduated from high school in Kharkiv and then enrolled in the Moscow Higher Military Command School, which was then the Soviet Union's most prestigious military academy.

He graduated in 1986 and joined the Soviet Artillery Corps, serving in a number of theaters, including Afghanistan.  

When the USSR was dissolved in 1991 and the Soviet military was divided between various successor states, Syrskyi's unit in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, fell under Ukrainian command. As part of this transition process, he took an oath of allegiance to the newly independent Ukrainian state.

Syrskyi rose through the ranks of the Ukrainian military. At the beginning of Russia's invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014, he was chief of staff of what was then known as the "anti-terror operation", or "ATO", and was one of the main commanders of Ukrainian forces during the Battle for Debaltseve in the winter of 2015, which ended in a chaotic and disorderly Ukrainian retreat.

His career continued to progress and by August 2020 he had achieved the rank of lieutenant general and held the position of commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Syrskyi played a key role in the defense of Kyiv and commanded Ukrainian forces during the successful Kharkiv counteroffensive in 2022.

In 2023 Syrskyi commanded Ukrainian soldiers during the Battle of Bakhmut, choosing to fight a heavily attritional, meat grinder style defensive battle which Ukraine ultimately lost. This led to him gaining a derisive nickname amongst Ukrainian troops — "the butcher."

His reputation and unpopularity among large sections of the military made him a controversial choice to replace the widely popular Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi on Feb. 8, 2024.

As commander-in-chief, his inflexible and rigid command style continued. In several cases Ukrainian military units resorted to disobeying his orders to avoid military catastrophe, most notably during the battle of Avdiivka.

Ukrainian forces holding the embattled city withdrew in the face of Russian encirclement, reportedly without Syrskyi's consent, saving thousands of Ukrainian soldiers from death or captivity. Syrskyi announced a formal withdrawal a day later.

One of Syrskyi's biggest reforms to the Ukrainian military during his tenure as commander-in-chief was his creation of the "Assault Forces," a separate arm of the ground forces that were effectively under his personal control.

This new arm of the military benefited from receiving the majority of mobilized soldiers — up to 1,000 a month in some cases — whilst regular mechanized brigades received far fewer.

The assault forces — and particularly Syrsky's favoured 425th Assault Regiment, "Skala," — gained a reputation for the brutal treatment of mobilized soldiers and unsophisticated brute force assaults, which frequently resulted in heavily Ukrainian casualties.