Kyiv .- The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, dismissed the head of the Army, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, late Tuesday and appointed General Mykhailo Drapatyi, who until now led the Army’s Joint Forces, as the new commander of the Armed Forces.
“I have decided that the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapati,” Zelensky said in an address to the nation, highlighting that the decision was made together with the main army commanders and stating that he will seek a new position for Syrskyi, whom he thanked for his work in the role.
The Ukrainian president also announced that he offered the former Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov, whose departure from the post last week precipitated the crisis that led to the dismissal of Syrskyi, a “position of importance in the Government” related to the technological modernization that he promoted while heading the Defense portfolio.
Zelensky did not say whether Fedorov—who had until now rejected the positions the president had offered him as an alternative to the Ministry of Defense—has given an answer to his proposal.
The tension surrounding Syrskyi
The questioning that led to Syrskyi’s dismissal intensified last week, after Fedorov attributed his departure from the Ministry of Defense to a conflict with the general, whom he accused of failing to adapt to the new reality of a war dominated by drones and whom he labeled as authoritarian and outdated.
More Read
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent days demanding the return of Fedorov to his post as Minister of Defense and the dismissal of Syrskyi.
The general responded this Monday to the criticism received by recalling that it has been under his command that drones have acquired the prominence they have in Ukraine’s war strategy.
We recommend reading:
More Read
Syrskyi also claimed credit for the improvement in the war situation for Ukraine in recent months.
General Syrskyi took over the position of Army chief, which he is leaving today by the president’s decision, in February 2024, when he replaced the popular Valerii Zaluzhnyi following the latter’s dismissal due to his disagreements with Zelensky.
