Zelenskyy fires Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief amid protests, replaces him with popular frontline commander

Amid protests that began with the ouster of then-Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday sacked General Oleksandr Syrskyi as the Commander-in-Chief of the country's armed forces.

Zelenskyy replaced Syrskyi with Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, who is popular as a frontline commander and is seen as a moderniser. Protesters as well as Fedorov have welcomed the decision.

During his six-month tenure, Fedorov emerged as the face of Ukraine’s highly successful drone campaign against Russia, which has devastated Russian energy infrastructure, caused massive casualties, and hammered the Russian war machine. But he was also seen as being at odds with Syrskyi and others in the defence establishment over the direction of the war. While Fedorov envisioned warfare as increasingly centred on drones and robots, Syrskyi and others in the defence-industrial complex disagreed. Fedorov’s dismissal was therefore seen as Zelenskyy siding with Syrskyi in the tussle.

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Drapatyi’s appointment is being seen as both an act of damage control and an effort to accelerate the Ukrainian military’s transition into a future-ready force. Compared with Syrskyi, who trained in the Soviet era and was regarded as prioritising conventional warfare, Drapatyi belongs to a younger generation of officers who graduated in independent Ukraine and endorse the same drone- and robot-centric vision of warfare as Fedorov.

Drapatyi’s appointment is therefore seen as an affirmation of the idea of a futuristic military centred on drones, robots, and long-range munitions rather than conventional ground warfare involving frontal assaults and attritional battles.

Fedorov described Drapatyi’s appointment as “a breath of fresh air and a new source of hope”. Referring to Zelenskyy’s response to the protests and decision in line with public sentiment, he said that “the voice of change” could “no longer be ignored”.

Mykhailo Drapatyi: a popular frontline commander driving innovation

Drapatyi first came to prominence in 2014 as a major when he drove his armoured vehicle through barricades set up by pro-Russia forces in Mariupol to retake the city. The video went viral at the time.

Drapatyi built a reputation as a frontline commander focused on tactical innovation, drone integration, and direct accountability, and he is generally highly regarded by rank-and-file soldiers and military reformers alike, according to The New York Times.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Drapatyi helped halt a Russian advance on the city of Kryvyi Rih and was one of the commanders of a counteroffensive that ultimately liberated Kherson in southern Ukraine. He also led the counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region in 2024.

Two years later, by then a brigadier general, he was named commander of Ukraine’s ground forces. In 2024, he organised Ukraine’s response to a Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region. The following year, Zelenskyy placed Drapatyi in charge of units fighting in the Donetsk region.

After Drapatyi resigned months later, taking moral responsibility for a Russian strike on a Ukrainian military base, Zelenskyy appointed him commander of the Joint Forces instead of letting him go.

As Joint Forces chief, Drapatyi proposed reforms to Ukraine’s recruitment system, training, and technological integration, according to The Times.

Criticism of Syrskyi erupted as soon as Fedorov was sacked. Veterans, analysts, and serving soldiers accused him of blocking initiatives designed to adapt to a rapidly changing battlefield. Protesters took to the streets carrying placards bearing slogans such as “Fedorov is innovation, old grandpas are degeneration”, according to The Times.

Drapatyi’s appointment came after days of deliberations at the presidential office and several meetings chaired by Zelenskyy, including discussions with potential replacements for Syrskyi.

This is at least the second time that Zelenskyy has taken an unpopular decision and then course-corrected amid public backlash. Last year, tens of thousands of Ukrainians similarly staged protests across the country after a proposal effectively sought to neuter the country's anti-corruption agencies. Zelenskyy eventually bowed to the protesters’ demands and essentially reversed the decision.

As elections cannot be held in Ukraine while martial law remains in force, Ukrainians have increasingly resorted to mass demonstrations as a means of expressing public opinion on major decisions.