Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi following days of mass protests nationwide demanding his removal, appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new army chief.
The dismissal follows Zelensky’s abrupt firing of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov last week, which triggered street protests after Fedorov, credited with modernising Ukraine’s drone warfare and long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, clashed repeatedly with Syrskyi. Protesters viewed Syrskyi, nicknamed “The Butcher” over the Bakhmut withdrawal and Kursk retreat, as emblematic of outdated military thinking.
Zelensky said he made the decision after meetings with top commanders, adding: “Our shared wish is one — victory over the enemy.” He separately offered Fedorov an unspecified technology-sector role; it’s unclear if he accepted. This marks Zelensky’s second major reversal under public pressure, after last summer’s anti-corruption watchdog controversy.
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