President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine announced on Tuesday that Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, a decorated fighter, would be the new commander in chief of the country’s armed forces.
The choice of General Drapatyi to replace Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi followed days of protests over Mr. Zelensky’s decision to fire Ukraine’s defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov. Mr. Fedorov had clashed with General Syrskyi over warfighting 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 Gen. Drapatyi, 43, is likely to please the protesters who have flooded Ukraine’s streets in recent days, especially since Mr. Drapatyi had publicly sided with Mr. Fedorov.
Criticism of General Syrskyi had erupted almost immediately after Mr. Fedorov was fired, with calls for his ouster.
Part of a younger generation of Ukrainian officers, General Drapatyi built a reputation as a frontline commander focused on tactical innovation, drone integration, and direct accountability — all areas dear to Mr. Fedorov’s agenda.
Well regarded both inside and outside of Ukraine, General 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 Mechanized Brigade. He had risen to the rank of major by 2014, when he gained public prominence after a video of his armored vehicle breaking through pro-Russian barricades in the city of Mariupol went viral.
He later moved through several units, all 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 counteroffensive 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 organized Ukraine’s response to a Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region.
In January 2025, Mr. Zelensky asked General Drapatyi to personally take charge of the units fighting in the Donetsk region — signaling both the challenges Ukrainian troops were facing in the east as well as confidence in the commander.
“Mykhailo Drapatyi successfully organized defense in the Kharkiv direction and thwarted the offensive operation of the Russian forces,” Mr. Zelensky said in an announcement at the time.
General Drapatyi submitted his resignation six months later after a deadly Russian strike hit a Ukrainian military base, saying that 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 Mr. Fedorov’s firing erupted last week.
General Drapatyi issued a public statement in support of Mr. Fedorov last Thursday, saying that under his leadership “the troops have had a partner in the Ministry of Defense 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.”
Mr. Fedorov highlighted the importance of change in congratulating General Drapatyi on Tuesday night after Mr. Zelensky 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, General Drapatyi thanked Mr. Zelensky for the opportunity, saying that “serving Ukraine has always been an honor 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.”
Marc Santora contributed reporting.
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