MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has formally dismissed Alexander Syrsky as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces and appointed Mikhail Drapaty to replace him.
Igor Skibyuk has been named the new chief of the General Staff, according to decrees published on Zelensky’s website.
However, under Ukraine’s national security law, Zelensky may appoint a new commander-in-chief only upon the recommendation of a serving defense minister, a position that is currently vacant.
TASS has compiled the key details about the reshuffle.
Changes in Ukrainian army, Defense Ministry
- Zelensky formally dismissed Alexander Syrsky as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces and appointed Mikhail Drapaty in his place, according to decrees published on Zelensky’s website.
- He also dismissed General Staff Chief Andrey Gnatov and appointed Igor Skibyuk to replace him.
- No decree appointing Syrsky to another position has been issued.
- TASS previously reported, after reviewing Ukraine’s national security law, that Drapaty’s formal appointment could be delayed by up to a month because the country has no fully empowered defense minister.
- Under the law, Zelensky may appoint a new commander-in-chief only upon the recommendation of a serving defense minister, a position that is currently vacant.
- On the evening of July 21, Zelensky said he had appointed Drapaty commander-in-chief to replace Syrsky.
- General Staff Chief Andrey Gnatov was dismissed along with Syrsky.
- Zelensky said on July 22 that Major General Igor Skibyuk would become the new chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces.
- Skibyuk previously served as deputy chief of the General Staff.
- No formal decrees had been published at that point.
- Zelensky also indicated that he sees Yevgeny Khmara as defense minister. Khmara was named acting head of the Defense Ministry following Mikhail Fedorov’s resignation and the ensuing protests.
Fedorov’s future
- Amid protests in Ukrainian cities over Mikhail Fedorov’s resignation as defense minister, Zelensky said he had offered him another government post.
- According to Zelensky, the position would allow Fedorov to consolidate Ukraine’s technological capabilities and oversee their development.
- Zelensky did not say whether Fedorov had accepted the offer.
- Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak later said that Zelensky had offered Fedorov either the post of deputy prime minister for military technology or a position as an adviser in the presidential office.
Opinions
- Zelensky had not intended to dismiss Syrsky but was forced to do so under European pressure, the Ukrainian news outlet Strana reported.
- According to the publication, Zelensky still opposed replacing the army chief on the morning of July 21 despite widespread protests in Ukrainian cities. He changed course amid mounting but unspoken pressure from European countries that finance the Ukrainian armed forces.
- Syrsky confirmed his departure and said he was leaving the army "on the offensive" in a post on his Telegram channel.
- By replacing the commander-in-chief amid protests, Zelensky risks losing control over both the military and the broader situation in Ukraine, Strana argued.
- The news outlet said that by backing down, Zelensky had set political changes within the military in motion, as it was evident that he had not planned to dismiss Syrsky and acted solely under pressure.
- Zelensky will seek to demonstrate that he remains in control, the publication said, but the reshuffle could provoke a serious conflict among the country’s senior military leadership, particularly if it affects the commercial interests of groups competing for access to the defense budget.
- Strana also noted that Zelensky is attempting to maneuver over Fedorov’s dismissal as defense minister. Fedorov is backed by organizations that rely on European grants and political patronage.
- According to the news outlet, much will depend on the response from Fedorov, his supporters and Europe: whether they accept the partial fulfillment of their demands or continue pressing for his return to the Defense Ministry.
Reaction
- Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented ironically on the dismissals of Syrsky and Fedorov, asking whether they were prompted by Kiev’s "successes" on the battlefield.
- Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned on TVN24 that the glorification of followers of Stepan Bandera would have consequences for Ukraine’s path toward membership in the European Union.
- The dismissals of Syrsky and Fedorov were driven by external influence groups, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said.
- By appointing Drapaty commander-in-chief, Zelensky will create additional opportunities for personal enrichment through funding from the European defense program, Alexander Pataman, head of the secretariat of the Zaporozhye Region branch of the international public organization World Russian People’s Council, told TASS.
- The interests of Ukrainian nationalists matter more to Zelensky than relations with the West or support from his own country’s citizens, The Spectator columnist Owen Matthews said.
- Drapaty will not remain in office through the end of the year because he could emerge as a rival to Zelensky in a future presidential election, State Duma lawmaker from Crimea Mikhail Sheremet told TASS.
Impact on Ukrainian conflict
- Drapaty may attempt to conduct several frontline operations to consolidate his position but is unlikely to succeed because of the Russian army’s battlefield dominance, retired Major General Leonid Ivlev, a State Duma lawmaker from Crimea, told TASS.
- Zelensky appointed Drapaty in response to protest sentiment in Ukrainian society, Russian Senator from the Kherson Region Igor Kastyukevich said. The reshuffle will change nothing for Russia, and the liberation of territories from Kiev’s rule will continue, he added.
- Kastyukevich described Drapaty as a war criminal, like his predecessor Syrsky.
- Drapaty, like Syrsky before him, has been appointed as a supposed savior of the situation at the front, but Ukraine’s political failures and military losses will eventually be blamed on him, Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo told TASS.
- Saldo added that Drapaty is a career officer with extensive combat experience and should therefore not be underestimated.
Drapaty’s background
- Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov described Drapaty as a follower of Stepan Bandera and a Nazi, accusing him of suppressing unrest in Mariupol in 2014 and carrying out brutal reprisals.
- Drapaty was involved in the violence in Mariupol on May 9, 2014, when he drove an infantry fighting vehicle into civilians, former Security Service of Ukraine officer Vasily Prozorov told TASS.
- Drapaty was raised in a nationalist environment and is oriented toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Ivlev said, noting that he is wanted over crimes in Donbass.
- Drapaty was appointed commander-in-chief because of his role in terrorizing civilians in Donbass and Novorossiya, Zaporozhye Region Legislative Assembly Chairman Viktor Yemelyanenko told TASS.
Timeline
- Fedorov was removed as Ukrainian defense minister on July 4, partly because of a conflict with Syrsky.
- Protests against Fedorov’s dismissal began in Ukrainian cities on July 16.
- Demonstrators gradually expanded their demands, calling not only for Fedorov’s reinstatement but also for Syrsky’s removal.