The commanders of the Navy and Air Assault Forces on July 18-19 backed Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi amid mass protests in Kyiv and across Ukraine, in which demonstrators demanded that President Volodymyr Zelensky fire him.The protests continued every night after Zelensky ousted popular reformist Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov earlier this week. Fedorov said during a press conference the day after his ouster that Syrskyi issued an ultimatum to Zelensky. Known to be promoting the Soviet top-down command management style, Syrskyi has long been under criticism from many soldiers and commanders. Navy Commander Oleksii Neizhpapa called doubts about the Ukrainian army during wartime "unacceptable," stressing that "the Ukrainian Armed Forces are perhaps the only institution that stands firmly on its own two feet, no matter what." Neizhpapa, who has served Ukraine for 34 years, said that he believes only the president has the right to evaluate Syrskyi's performance as the chief of the Armed Forces, warning that "inciting people during wartime divides our society and plays into the enemy's hands." Similar to Neizhpapa, Air Assault Forces Commander Oleh Apostol said that over the years of his service, he has learned not only to command his troops but to trust his immediate commanders and beyond, including Syrskyi. Known as Syrskyi's favorite units, the Assault Forces are constantly prioritized, while supplies to larger mechanized brigades tasked with holding the front are neglected, multiple commanders in mechanized brigades told the Kyiv Independent. "The military chain of command is based on a clear system of subordination, a single chain of command, and the personal responsibility of each commander for the decisions made," Apostol said in a Facebook post. "And believe me, these are always difficult decisions that carry the highest degree of responsibility, because people's lives are at stake. This is the very foundation of any strong army."Warning that the internal chaos in Ukraine would only benefit Russia, he said he believes that "groundless accusations and public insult" to the highest army command is unacceptable. "It is particularly disheartening to hear categorical judgments from people who have never issued combat orders, never taken responsibility for the lives and health of their subordinates, and never made decisions on which the fate of a unit depends," Apostol said.The Navy and Air Assault Forces commanders' backing of Syrskyi comes as Zelensky said on July 19 that he spoke with three top military officers, including Mykhailo Drapatyi, the commander of Ukraine's Joint Forces, widely regarded as one of the country's most respected military leaders. Zelensky is considering Syrskyi's dismissal if he can find a suitable replacement, as the protests rage on, the Financial Times reported, citing its sources. The statements also come shortly after Serhii Sternenko, a prominent Ukrainian activist and a former adviser to Fedorov, has accused Syrskyi of covering up friendly-fire incidents and the deliberate weakening of some Ukrainian brigades in the face of Russian assaults.Sternenko broadcast the accusations live on YouTube on July 17, at one point visibly upset as he described a failed assault on the Pokrovsk front."Disoriented, (Ukrainian troops) mistakenly assaulted the positions of another Ukrainian brigade. A friendly-fire incident occurred. Soldiers from another Ukrainian brigade were killed. The soldiers who had been sent on that assault also died," he said.Sternenko said the assault was carried out by troops under the command of the suspended 425th "Skelia" Regiment Commander Yurii Harkavyi, who sent them into an armored assault without notifying neighboring Ukrainian units or conducting reconnaissance.The Kyiv Independent has reached out to the General Staff for comment but has not received a response.Some of Ukraine's most respected military leaders, such as Bohdan Krotevych, formerly Azov Brigade's chief of staff, have been harsh critics of Syrskyi, repeatedly calling for his dismissal.