Zelenskyy sacks military chief Syrskii amid protests over defence minister’s removal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed his military chief Oleksandr Syrskii in the latest reshuffle of the country’s defence apparatus. Syrskii, 60, who was born in Soviet Russia and later joined the Ukrainian army, was a key figure in the defence of Kyiv in 2022 and planned the successful Kharkiv counteroffensive later that year. He has been replaced by Mykhailo Drapatyi.

The removal came after six days of protests in Kyiv triggered by the ouster of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had clashed with Syrskii over reforms. Zelenskyy stated on social media that the decision was made to “reset” the defence against Russian forces and to address friction within military leadership, mobilisation issues, and front-line management.

During the war, Ukraine has fired more than ten generals. Notable cases include Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov’s dismissal in September 2023 over corruption allegations, Valerii Zaluzhnyi’s removal as commander-in-chief in February 2024, and the replacement of Yuriy Sodol with Andrii Hnatov in June 2024.

Russia has also seen military reshuffles. Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet, was fired in August 2022 after the flagship Moskva was sunk. Major-General Ivan Popov was dismissed in July 2023 for criticising battlefield strategy. In August 2023, Sergey Surovikin, known as “General Armageddon”, was removed from his post as commander of the Aerospace Forces following his links to the Wagner mercenary group after its mutiny.