Zelenskyy replaces army chief with reformist general Mykhailo Drapatyi after week of protests

A week of upheaval

On July 15, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov as part of a cabinet reshuffle under new Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi. The move triggered the largest street protests Ukraine has seen since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Demonstrators demanded both Fedorov's reinstatement and the removal of army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom Fedorov had accused of blocking reforms. After six days of rallies, Zelenskyy fired Syrskyi on the evening of July 21 and appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new commander-in-chief.

Who is Mykhailo Drapatyi?

Drapatyi, 43, is a decorated tank officer whose career has been defined by the war. In 2014, his unit helped prevent the capture of Mariupol, and he later extracted 260 soldiers from encirclement. He graduated top of his class at the National Defence University in 2021. Since the 2022 invasion, he has commanded forces in some of the hottest sectors, stopping a Russian advance on Kryvyi Rih, participating in the liberation of Kherson, and blunting a cross-border offensive in Kharkiv in 2024. Fellow officers call him "the firefighter" for his ability to find solutions in desperate situations. Drapatyi was the only general who publicly defended Fedorov after his dismissal, writing on Facebook that under Fedorov the defence ministry had become a genuine support for the army, with faster decisions and a willingness to listen to commanders.

The cooperation between the troops and the Ministry of Defence has changed. There was a readiness to listen to commanders, make decisions faster and support changes that come from within the units themselves.

Fedorov's unresolved status

Zelenskyy appointed former SBU intelligence chief Yevhenii Khmara as acting defence minister, but the protests have not subsided. Fedorov, 35, turned down an offer to become deputy prime minister for technological development, insisting he must return to the defence portfolio to complete his modernisation agenda. Protest leader Dmytro Koziatynsky, a war veteran, announced a rally for Friday evening outside the presidential office in Kyiv's Ivana Franka Square.

We should not forget about the second demand of the protest, to return Mykhailo Fedorov to the position of minister of defence.

A senior army source told the Guardian that Zelenskyy faced a dilemma: reversing the decision would be humiliating, but refusing would prolong the unrest.

Voices from the front line

In Izium, 30 kilometres from Russian positions, soldiers welcomed Syrskyi's departure. A 22-year-old soldier nicknamed Khrest said Fedorov had been pushing for fixed-term contracts so mobilised troops would know how long they must serve. Another soldier, Ananas, 30, said Syrskyi "threw a lot of people into the meat grinder at the start of the war" and got off lightly by being dismissed. Both said discontent would persist unless Fedorov returned. Syrskyi, 60, defended his record in a farewell message, stating that Ukrainian forces had retaken 743 square kilometres of territory since the beginning of 2026.

My work is war.

A generational shift

The appointment marks the biggest military leadership change since Syrskyi replaced the popular Valerii Zaluzhny in February 2024. Drapatyi belongs to a post-Soviet generation of officers who have embraced drone warfare and data-driven decision-making. He helped develop the "drone line" concept, a kill zone saturated with surveillance and attack drones. Zelenskyy said that together with Drapatyi, acting minister Khmara and deputy presidential chief of staff Pavlo Palisa, he had already defined how the general staff structure should be renewed. The new chief of the general staff, Ihor Skybiuk, fought "shoulder to shoulder" with Drapatyi, the president noted.