President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday named a young major general, Mykhailo Drapatyi, as the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s military after days of street protests, marking the biggest shake-up in the country’s military leadership since its war with Russia began.
Zelenskyy replaced Oleksandr Syrskyi, 60, with Drapatyi, 43, a respected and experienced commander who led the country’s land forces from 2024 to 2025 and is described as a general of a new generation.
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Last week, Zelenskyy’s government reshuffle and dismissal of tech-savvy reformist Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, 35, after just half a year in office, stirred concerns among analysts that Ukraine’s recent battlefield momentum could be lost.
Ukraine has been trying to gain the upper hand in the war by heavily striking Russia’s energy sector – its main source of budget revenue – and logistics.
