Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Tuesday that major general Mykhailo Drapatyi, a decorated fighter, would be the new commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces.
The choice of Drapatyi to replace general Oleksandr Syrskyi followed days of protests over Zelenskiy’s decision to fire Ukraine’s defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Fedorov had clashed with Syrskyi over war-fighting strategy.
Many protesters saw the Fedorov dismissal as a victory for an old guard inside the military that had disagreed with the young, tech-savvy minister’s vision for the future of war.
The appointment of Drapatyi (43) is likely to please the protesters who have flooded Ukraine’s streets in recent days, especially since Drapatyi had publicly sided with Fedorov.
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Criticism of Syrskyi had erupted almost immediately after Fedorov was fired, with calls for his dismissal.
Part of a younger generation of Ukrainian officers, Drapatyi built a reputation as a front-line commander focused on tactical innovation, drone integration and direct accountability – all areas dear to Fedorov’s agenda.
Well regarded inside and outside Ukraine, Drapatyi, who commanded the Joint Forces, has had a long and decorated military career.
After completing his training at the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Troops in 2004, he joined Ukraine’s 72nd Separate Mechanised Brigade. He had risen to the rank of major by 2014, when he gained public prominence after a video of his armoured vehicle breaking through pro-Russian barricades in the city of Mariupol went viral.
He later moved through several units while continuing to climb through the ranks. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, he helped stop a Russian advance on the city of Kryvyi Rih and was one of the commanders of a counter-offensive that ultimately liberated the southern city of Kherson.
Two years later, then a brigadier general, he was named commander of Ukraine’s ground forces. In 2024, he organised Ukraine’s response to a Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region.
In January 2025, Zelenskiy asked Drapatyi to personally take charge of the units fighting in the Donetsk region – signalling both the challenges Ukrainian troops were facing in the east as well as confidence in the commander.
“Mykhailo Drapatyi successfully organised defence in the Kharkiv direction and thwarted the offensive operation of the Russian forces,” Zelenskiy said in an announcement at the time.
Drapatyi submitted his resignation six months later after a deadly Russian strike hit a Ukrainian military base, saying he felt a “personal sense of responsibility for the tragedy”.
But he was swiftly appointed commander of the Joint Forces, where he proposed reforms to Ukraine’s recruitment system, training and technological integration. He was still serving in that role when the crisis over Fedorov’s firing erupted last week.
Drapatyi issued a public statement in support of Fedorov last Thursday, saying that under his leadership, “the troops have had a partner in the ministry of defence who has not only provided for their needs, but also demanded changes in approaches, faster decision-making and support for those who are ready to take responsibility for them.”
Fedorov highlighted the importance of change in congratulating Drapatyi on Tuesday night after Zelenskiy named him to the new post. “This is a breath of fresh air and a new source of hope in the fight of free people for freedom and justice,” he said in a statement. “It is the voice of change that could no longer be ignored.”
For his part, Drapatyi thanked Zelenskiy for the opportunity, saying that “serving Ukraine has always been an honour for me” and that he would “work responsibly, focused and with respect for the people who are defending our state”.
He also had kind words for his predecessor.
“I am grateful to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi for his consistent work to strengthen the Ukrainian army,” he wrote on Facebook. “I grew up in it.” – This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
