Zelensky dismisses Oleksandr Syrsky as commander

Zelensky dismisses Oleksandr Syrsky as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 21 dismissed Oleksandr Syrsky as commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces. Mykhailo Drapatyi, commander of Ukraine’s Joint Forces, will become Ukraine’s new commander in chief. In his statement, Zelensky gave no formal reason for Syrsky’s dismissal but credited the outgoing commander’s achievements, saying: Oleksandr Syrsky secured real results for Ukraine in the defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv counteroffensive, and the Kursk operation. Syrsky had led Ukraine’s armed forces since February 2024, when he succeeded Valery Zaluzhny in the post. On July 15, it was reported that Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had held the post since January 2026, had been dismissed. Reports indicated that a conflict had arisen between him and Syrsky. Fedorov’s dismissal led to protests in cities across Ukraine. On July 18, a Meduza source close to Ukraine’s presidential office said that Zelensky was seriously considering removing Syrsky if the protests did not subside. On July 20, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the Ukrainian president had begun reviewing 11 candidates who could replace the commander in chief. Zelensky met with Fedorov on July 21, shortly before news of Syrsky’s dismissal broke. The outcome of that meeting has not been disclosed. The Financial Times had previously reported that Zelensky was trying to bring Fedorov back into the government. Yevhen Khmara, head of Ukraine’s Security Service, currently holds the post of acting defense minister. At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication. If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected]. To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.