Ukraine's Zelenskyy fires military chief after days of protests
Deutsche Welle · LC · trust 42/100
Mass protests in recent days in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities had called for the removal of commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has named Mykhailo Drapatyi as the army's new chief.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HWse Oleksandr Syrskyi (left) will be replaced by Mykhailo Drapatyi Image: Ukrainian Presidential Press Off/ZUMAPRESS/picture alliance Advertisement Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday that he was removing Oleksandr Syrskyi, the army's commander-in-chief, from his post.
"I have decided that the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapatyi... I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to each of our warriors for Ukraine's strong front-line positions," Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.
"Our shared wish is one — victory over the enemy and conditions at the front and in pressure on Russia that would force Russia toward peace," Zelenskyy said. "A significant path has been traveled, the defense of Ukraine continues, and every warrior deserves dignified treatment."
The move comes as Zelenskyy has been facing mounting criticism over the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov last week .
Following his sacking, Fedorov, 35, went public with his conflict with Syrskyi. Their dispute was mainly over a disagreement about the direction of Ukraine 's war effort against Russia's ongoing invasion .
Fedorov had accused Syrskyi of blocking his attempts at reforming and modernizing the army.
Fedorov's removal triggered massive, nationwide protests that saw several thousand, mostly young people demonstrate in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv and other cities. They demanded that Syrskyi be removed and that Fedorov be reinstated.
Zelenskyy, who had initially sided with Syrskyi, eventually bowed to public pressure on Tuesday, after days of meetings with dozens of Ukraine's top military figures.
Syrskyi, 60, was born in Russia and was trained in Moscow during the Soviet era.
He had led some of Ukraine's most decisive campaigns, including halting Russia's initial advance towards Kyiv in 2022 and leading Ukraine's incursion into Kursk, Russia in 2024.
"It is a fact that Oleksandr Syrskyi ensured Ukraine's successes in the defense of Kyiv, in the Kharkiv offensive operation, and in the Kursk operation," Ukraine's president said on Tuesday when announcing the change.
But the military veteran had clashed with reformers over a range of issues, including the use of drones and technology.
His dismissal caps a dramatic week in Ukrainian politics, which has seen Zelenskyy botch a leadership reshuffle that has triggered some of the largest protests the country has seen since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Fedorov, a reformist, was associated with Ukraine's drone strikes against targets in Russia, which have helped turn the tide of the war and garnered wide praise in the West.
Fedorov said Syrskyi's replacement as Ukraine's commander-in-chief by Drapatyi brings "fresh hope" to the country.
"This is a breath of fresh air and a new hope in the struggle of free people for freedom and justice," Fedorov said on social media.
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