Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi after days of pressure from protesters. Mykhailo Drapatyi will become the new commander-in-chief, Zelenskyy announced on his Telegram channel.
The president had initially stuck with his commander-in-chief, appointed in 2024, despite criticism, after he dismissed the popular politician Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister last week. The 35-year-old Fedorov had then made public his conflict with Syrskyi, who was still trained in Soviet times. The dispute was largely about a difference in direction in warfare. Fedorov stood primarily for the use of Ukrainian drones against Russian targets, which was also praised in the West.
Zelenskyy expressly thanked the outgoing general and recognized his military merits. In view of ongoing protests against Fedorov's dismissal, the president had been holding talks with the military for days, as he announced on the platform X.
New position for Fedorov
As early as Saturday, in his daily video address, he said in light of the street protests that he was listening to what people were saying. He also spoke at length with Fedorov and Syrskyi, he said.
On Tuesday evening, according to Zelenskyy's spokesman Dmytro Lytvyn, there was another conversation with Fedorov. He should get a "dignified position" in which he can continue to take care of Ukraine's technical development, Zelenskyy announced. He did not provide details.
Demonstrations against Syrskyi and for Fedorov continued
For six consecutive days, several thousand people, mostly young, demonstrated in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities against Fedorov's dismissal. The demonstrators demanded his reinstatement. However, the main demand was the replacement of army chief Syrskyi. At the same time, there was also open support for Syrskyi from military circles.
Fedorov's post as defense minister was taken over on an interim basis on Friday by intelligence officer Yevheniy Chmara. However, Zelenskyy must still submit Chmara's candidacy to parliament and have him confirmed by the deputies.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than four years. Syrskyi had been commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces since February 2024. The 60-year-old career military officer, who comes from Russia, distinguished himself primarily in the defense of Kyiv and the successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv area in 2022.
Fedorov had been head of the Defense Ministry since January. Before that, he headed the Ministry of Digital Transformation, created in 2019.
