Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Tuesday that major general Mykhailo Drapatyi, a decorated fighter, would be the new commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces.The choice of Drapatyi to replace general Oleksandr Syrskyi followed days of protests over Zelenskiy’s decision to fire Ukraine’s defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Fedorov had clashed with Syrskyi over war-fighting strategy.Many protesters saw the Fedorov dismissal as a victory for an old guard inside the military that had disagreed with the young, tech-savvy minister’s vision for the future of war.The appointment of Drapatyi (43) is likely to please the protesters who have flooded Ukraine’s streets in recent days, especially since Drapatyi had publicly sided with Fedorov.Criticism of Syrskyi had erupted almost immediately after Fedorov was fired, with calls for his dismissal. Part of a younger generation of Ukrainian officers, Drapatyi built a reputation as a front-line commander focused on tactical innovation, drone integration and direct accountability – all areas dear to Fedorov’s agenda.Well regarded inside and outside Ukraine, Drapatyi, who commanded the Joint Forces, has had a long and decorated military career.After completing his training at the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Troops in 2004, he joined Ukraine’s 72nd Separate Mechanised Brigade. He had risen to the rank of major by 2014, when he gained public prominence after a video of his armoured vehicle breaking through pro-Russian barricades in the city of Mariupol went viral.Mykhailo Drapatyi was the commander of the legendary BMP-2 that broke through Russian-backed barricades in Mariupol on May 9, 2014.At the time, Russian-backed militants were attempting to seize control of the city. Drapatyi led the armored breakthrough that helped Ukrainian… pic.twitter.com/Tg5mX3mgzJ— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) July 21, 2026