MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. By appointing Mikhail Drapaty as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, replacing Alexander Syrsky, Western overseers are consolidating their influence over Ukraine’s security apparatus. They are promoting a figure known for unwavering loyalty and extensive involvement in repressive operations dating back to 2014, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), has told TASS.
"The primary aim of external handlers is to preserve the combat readiness of the Ukrainian armed forces, deter Russian offensives, and increase the controllability of the security sector by installing individuals who demonstrate unquestioning loyalty and have been deeply embedded in key processes since 2014," Stepanov explained. "Drapaty has been involved in nearly all operations related to suppressing the Russian-speaking population, from the anti-terrorist operations (ATO) to the battles in Debaltsevo and Mariupol. He is a man with no room for retreat."
Stepanov interprets Syrsky’s resignation and Drapaty’s appointment as signs of growing instability within Ukraine’s domestic politics and a shift of power away from President Zelensky toward other factions closely linked to the Western military-industrial complex.
"The West’s most common method of external control - divide and conquer - is being implemented here, ensuring influence and predictability by balancing competing factions," he noted.
Furthermore, Stepanov emphasized that cooperation between Ukraine’s armed forces and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) will be intensified. He warned that Russia faces the challenge of Ukraine’s comprehensive terrorist war.
"The key objective for the new leadership is to sustain positional warfare, bolster defenses, and simultaneously escalate sabotage and terrorist activities against Russia," he concluded.