Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelensky removed Commander‑in‑Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and named Mykhailo Drapatyi as his replacement, a move he announced Tuesday to reshape the military leadership.
- The shake‑up follows the sacking of reformist defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov five days earlier, a decision that sparked sustained protests in Kyiv and other cities and prompted at least one senior resignation in the Air Force.
- Drapatyi is a younger, battle‑tested general who has publicly backed Fedorov’s technology and drone agenda and whose appointment has been praised by reform supporters as a sign the military will adopt more modern tactics.
- Zelensky offered Fedorov a senior government advisory role aimed at unifying the state’s technical and defence planning, but the reports say it was not yet clear whether Fedorov would accept that post.
- The changes aim to calm public unrest and preserve command cohesion during the war, but analysts warn the episode exposes deep civil‑military tensions and could affect operational planning if further resignations or political splits follow.