Zaluzhnyi breaks silence, says new commander-in-chief faces 'incredibly difficult job'
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Ukraine's ambassador to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi commented on the appointment of new military leadership on July 22, saying Mykhailo Drapatyi faces an "incredibly difficult" task as Ukraine's newly appointed army chief.
The comment came a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Drapatyi's appointment following mass protests in Kyiv and across the country to dismiss former Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Zaluzhnyi, who has shied away from media attention since becoming the ambassador to the U.K., has not commented on the ongoing protests calling on Zelensky to oust Syrskyi and reappoint popular former reform-minded Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to his role.
"The new commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces will have an incredibly difficult job — far more difficult than he imagines," Zaluzhnyi said in a Telegram post, without elaborating further on the challenge.
Syrskyi, who has increasingly faced criticism from younger officers for his Soviet-style top-down management and has been called "the butcher" by critics, replaced Zaluzhnyi in 2024 as the commander-in-chief.
"But Mykhailo will never have reason to be ashamed. A person of honor has no idols and, therefore, nothing to lose. The only thing he has is his duty," Zaluzhnyi added in his Telegram post, attaching a photo of himself hugging Drapatyi, the 44-year-old general, on the road.
For days, protestors have been calling out Drapatyi's name as Syrskyi's replacement. Drapatyi is one of the most respected Ukrainian generals, praised for rising through the ranks from a tank lieutenant to an army commander from tough battles on the front.
