The appointment of Mykhailo Drapatyi marks the most significant change in Ukraine's military leadership since 2024
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to replace Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi with Mykhailo Drapatyi marks arguably the most consequential leadership shift within Ukraine’s military since the dismissal of former CiC Valerii Zaluzhnyi in February 2024.
Zaluzhnyi’s removal was widely interpreted as the outcome of a strategic disagreement within the military leadership. His successor, Syrskyi, was repeatedly criticised for a “Soviet-style doctrine” – an old approach to warfare that placed less value on the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
It’s a reputation that Syrskyi became associated with largely during the Battle of Bakhmut. While Zaluzhnyi is believed to have favoured an earlier withdrawal from the city, Zelenskyy and Syrskyi insisted on holding the stronghold. The battle, which lasted almost a year, inflicted devastating losses on Russian forces – particularly Wagner Group fighters and Russian naval infantry – and was initially regarded by many Ukrainian officers as a worthwhile effort to bleed the invading army.
Smoke rises from a building in central Bakhmut after Russian artillery shelled the besieged city (Björn Stritzel)
