Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that he was dismissing Oleksandr Syrsky, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's army, amid an ongoing political crisis triggered by the removal of a popular defence minister,
France 24 reports.
The Ukrainian leader announced he was appointing joint forces commander Mykhailo Drapaty in his place.
"This is a victory for the protesters who took to the streets a week ago, when Zelensky fired defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov," FRANCE 24 correspondent Gulliver Cragg said. "Their main demand was that Syrsky be fired."
He added that "Drapaty was the one Fedorov wanted to see in that position to replace Syrsky".
Syrsky, 60, had served in the role since 2024 and was among Kyiv's most experienced commanders, having led the defence of Kyiv at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
His removal comes after days of protests in support of Fedorov, who accused Syrsky of forcing him out and stalling his attempt to reform the military.
"I have decided that the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapaty," Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.
"I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrsky and to each of our warriors for Ukraine's strong front-line positions."
Zelensky also said that he had offered Fedorov – whose surprise dismissal sparked a political crisis – a "decent post" to oversee the technological component of the state.
