Thousands of Ukrainians had taken to the streets for six days, demanding the reinstatement of a popular reformist defence minister and the removal of the country’s top general. On Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelensky delivered on half of that demand.
The Ukrainian president fired army commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, just a week after sacking defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov – a move that triggered the largest political crisis since Russia’s 2022 invasion. In a late-night TV address, Zelensky appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi, a popular and innovative general who organised the protection of Kharkiv in 2024, as the new head of the armed forces.
“Volodymyr Zelensky has fired army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi after nationwide protests demanding his removal over the sacking of defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.”
Zelensky had cited the dysfunctional relationship between Syrskyi and Fedorov as his reason for firing the defence minister on 15 July. But the decision sparked nationwide protests, with demonstrators in Kyiv and other cities giving a Friday deadline for Fedorov’s reinstatement and threatening “indefinite protests” if ignored.
Fedorov, 35, had been widely praised for bringing a tech-startup vigour to Ukraine’s war effort, prioritising drone warfare and shaking up procurement. He was replaced as defence minister by Yevhenii Khmara, a former top SBU official.
In his address, Zelensky thanked Syrskyi for successful operations in 2022 defending Kyiv and Kharkiv, and the 2024 incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. “We have come a long way. The defence of Ukraine continues. And every soldier deserves to be treated with respect,” he said.
Zelensky also revealed he had offered Fedorov a “worthy position in power”, but did not say whether it had been accepted. According to officials familiar with the talks, Fedorov has refused any post besides defence minister.
Fedorov congratulated Drapatyi, describing his appointment as a “breath of fresh air and new hope in the fight of free people for freedom and justice”. He said it was “the voice of change that could not be ignored”. He also called Syrskyi to thank him for the defence of Kyiv and other “historic battles”, but added: “We need to move even faster and write new chapters correcting all previous mistakes.”
It remains far from certain that Syrskyi’s ouster will quell the unrest. Protesters have demanded Fedorov’s full reinstatement and have promised to return to the streets if their deadline is not met.
