Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov congratulated newly appointed Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapaty, calling his appointment “a breath of fresh air and new hope” just a week after his own dismissal triggered nationwide protests. His statement came shortly after President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement that Drapaty will become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, replacing Oleksandr Syrsky, a decision reached alongside acting defense minister Yevhen Khmara, and Deputy Head of the President’s Office Pavlo Palisa. JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “This is a breath of fresh air and new hope in the struggle of free people for freedom and justice. It’s the voice of change that could not be ignored,” Fedorov wrote. Fedorov’s earlier push for change Fedorov’s reaction follows weeks of public criticism in which he called for “fundamental personnel decisions,” including a new commander-in-chief and a new chief of the General Staff. Fedorov said that he had proposed replacing Syrsky and General Staff Chief Andriy Hnatov, a request Zelensky initially declined. According to The New Voice of Ukraine, Drapaty had publicly backed Fedorov during the dispute, noting that the former minister’s push for reform reflected a genuine attempt to change the military system. Although Fedorov’s tenure lasted only about six months, he managed to quickly gain public support because of his advanced military achievements and ongoing military reforms. Since the beginning of his post in January, the military has carried out more than 50,000 logistics and evacuation missions using ground robotic complexes (GRCs), preserving thousands of soldiers’ lives in high-risk situations.