Tanya Polyakovska22:39, 21.07.26
Protesters opposed Syrsky.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Mykhailo Drapaty, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, replacing Oleksandr Syrsky . He announced this in his evening address .
“I have determined that Mykhailo Drapaty will become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Together with Mykhailo, Yevheniy Khmara, and Pavlo Palisa, we determined how the configuration of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should be updated,” Zelenskyy said.
The President thanked Syrsky for the defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv Offensive and the Kursk Operations, as well as for his contribution to the defense of Ukraine.
According to Zelensky, further service formats and the transfer of cases have already been discussed with Syrsky and Andriy Hnatov.
Changes in the Ministry of Defense and what is known about Drapaty
As UNIAN reported, on July 16, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the new composition of the Cabinet of Ministers. In particular, Mykhailo Fedorov was dismissed from the post of Minister of Defense.
His resignation was accompanied by protests in Kyiv and other cities, calling for Fedorov to remain in office. Protesters also expressed their dissatisfaction with Syrsky.
The information field actively discussed the version of the conflict between Syrsky and Fedorov as a possible reason for the latter’s dismissal. At the same time, Zelensky announced a “decision regarding the army” after negotiations with both of them .
The Financial Times also noted that Zelenskyy offered Fedorov another position with broad powers, but Fedorov only wants to return to the Ministry of Defense .
In addition, Syrsky noted that it was a surprise for him to learn about his conflict with Fedorov. He also criticized Fedorov over new contracts, mobilization, and salary redistribution.
As you know, Drapaty is one of the youngest Ukrainian generals who went through the entire war with Russia from the first days of 2014. He fought in Donbas, commanded units in the hottest spots, and later played a key role during the large-scale invasion of 2022.
At the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, Drapatiy commanded a battalion of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, which defended Mariupol and positions near Amvrosiivka. His unit participated in the battles to liberate part of the Donetsk region and held the lines under constant shelling.
During the full-scale invasion, Drapatiy led complex operations in the south and east. After that, he was appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in 2024, Commander of the Land Forces.
Subsequently, a new grouping was created within the Ukrainian Defense Forces – the United Forces, which was headed by Drapaty .
(c)UNIAN 2026
Can someone point me to something that gives me some understanding about Drapatiy, his background etc. I can only find very little about his background but I understand the troops like him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mykhailo_Drapatyi
Thanks so much.
This guy is phenomenal. In addition to all his activities I understand the troops like him. Shit, why wasn’t he made Commander and Chief earlier. I wish him my sincerest best wishes
Definitely. 👍🇺🇦✌️
I just posted a vlog from Anna and she told a story of how he drove an armored vehicle through a ruzzian barricade to save Ukrainian policemen in Mariupol.
I found this, which appears to be the early days (May of 2024) of the Kharkiv counteroffensive:
“Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mikhail Drapaty, was appointed commander of the OTUV “Kharkov”.
And this from a sniper back in June of 2021:
“Our commanders help us, too. Both Mykhailo Drapaty and Dmytro Kashchenko are officers and simply great people.”
And he met with Zelensky before appointing Syrsky in February of 2024:
“The President noted that he had dozens of conversations with commanders at various levels, in particular with Brigadier Generals Andrei Ignatov, Mikhail Drapaty, Igor Skibyuk and Colonels Pavel Palisa and Vadim Sukharevsky.”