Zelenskyy fires top army commander amid nationwide protests

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi on Tuesday, only a week after dismissing popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

Zelenskyy had cited the dysfunctional relationship between Syrskyi and the reformist minister as his reason for firing Fedorov on July 15, but the decision triggered a wave of protests demanding Fedorov's reinstatement and Syrskyi's removal. Zelenskyy has so far refused to return Fedorov to the defense ministry, saying he would be offered another position in government worthy of his talents.

"We will jointly determine an updated strategy of our defense [and] steps to continue the reform of the corps system, to fulfill the supply requests of combat commanders," Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation on Tuesday evening. He also expressed gratitude to Syrskyi for previous successful operations in 2022 in Kyiv and Kharkiv and the 2024 incursion into Russia's Kursk region.

Joint Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi will become the Ukrainian Army's new commander-in-chief, Zelenskyy said. Drapatyi is an experienced field commander who successfully organized the protection of Kharkiv in 2024 from a Russian counteroffensive. He was among the first of Ukraine's top commanders to openly support Fedorov last week.

Ukraine has seen nationwide protests since Zelenskyy ousted Fedorov, and it's far from certain that Syrskyi's ouster will suffice to quell them. Fedorov has refused to take any post besides his old job as defense minister, two officials familiar with the talks told POLITICO. It's not clear whether he has accepted Zelenskyy's latest offer to return to government. He congratulated Drapatyi, however, describing him as a "breath of fresh air." He also called Syrskyi to thank him for his successes in Kyiv and Kharkiv, calling them now "part of history." "But we need to move even faster and write new chapters, correcting all previous mistakes," Fedorov said.