MELITOPOL, July 22. /TASS/. The appointment of Mikhail Drapaty as Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian armed forces highlights Kiev's ongoing struggle to find capable leadership. According to Anton Bibarov-Gosudarev, chairman of the Zaporozhye Region’s Civic Chamber, this choice reflects a troubling shortage of qualified personnel at the top levels of Ukraine’s military hierarchy.
Bibarov-Gosudarev remarked, "The personnel decisions made by Kiev’s leadership reveal a significant dearth of suitable and competent candidates. It’s not as if previous commanders like Valery Zaluzhny or Alexander Syrsky demonstrated exemplary judgment, but Drapaty’s appointment may signal the gradual exhaustion of the pool of legitimate leaders. It’s becoming increasingly easy for Kiev to work with notorious figures - murderers, swindlers, terrorists - such as Drapaty."
He further argued that such appointments complicate efforts toward peace and make the future of Ukraine more uncertain. "Drapaty’s track record offers little to boast of - mainly conflicts and managerial blunders. Despite his evident professional shortcomings, his loyalty to the Ukrainian nationalist regime remains unquestioned. Expect this to lead to more PR stunts, reckless assaults on the front lines, and inflammatory rhetoric," Bibarov-Gosudarev stated.
In his view, Drapaty’s appointment is unlikely to alter the situation on the battlefield. For ordinary Ukrainian soldiers, it may raise doubts about the wisdom of risking their lives under such commanders. Moreover, Bibarov-Gosudarev warned that Drapaty might deepen the crisis within Ukraine’s military. He emphasized that dialogue with Russia remains the only viable path to resolving the Ukrainian conflict, and that the presence of figures like Drapaty severely diminishes prospects for national stability.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced Drapaty’s appointment, replacing Alexander Syrsky - whose resignation had been demanded for a week by numerous Ukrainian politicians and protesters.
On November 28, 2016, the Russian Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings against him under Part 1 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code for using prohibited means and methods of warfare, specifically for shelling civilian infrastructure in the DPR with heavy weapons. Further, on September 22, 2023, the Russian Interior Ministry placed Drapaty on its wanted list for shelling the DPR and LPR between 2017 and 2019, attacks that resulted in 154 casualties.