Conflict · Ukraine · ArchiveZelenskyy Fires Army Chief Syrskyi After Mass Protests, Names Reformist DrapatyiAired July 22, 2026 at 3:45 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00In Ukraine, President Zelensky has fired0:02his top general after days of nationwide0:04protests, handing command to a reformist0:07officer the demonstrators had been0:08calling for. General Oleksandr Syrskyi0:11is out as commander-in-chief, replaced0:13by General Mykhailo Drapatii. The0:15shake-up follows the sacking of Defense0:17Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, which ignited0:20public outrage across the country. The0:21protests began in Kyiv's Maidan Square0:24and quickly spread to a dozen cities.0:26Demonstrators accused the president of0:28sidelining reformers at a critical0:30moment in the war and demanded Syrskyi's0:32ouster alongside Fedorov's. For days,0:34Ukrainians took to the streets in0:36numbers not seen since the early months0:38of the full-scale invasion. The demand0:40was clear: accountability at the top of0:43military leadership. Polls show 61% of0:46Ukrainians opposed Fedorov's dismissal,0:48a clear signal that the public saw the0:50defense minister's firing as a step0:51backward for reform. Syrskyi, a0:54Soviet-trained commander, had long faced0:56distrust from frontline troops who saw0:58his tactics as outdated and costly.1:00Drapatii, by contrast, is viewed as a1:02Western-style reformer, trusted by the1:04brigades that will now fight under his1:06command. Analysts say the move shows1:08Ukraine's democracy working under fire.1:11The president heard the protests and1:12acted, reinforcing civilian control of1:15the military even in wartime. General1:17Drapatii takes command at a pivotal1:19moment. His appointment signals a shift1:21toward NATO-standard military structure1:24and a promise that the sacrifices of1:25Ukrainian soldiers will be matched by1:27competent leadership at the top. For1:29Ukraine, this is more than a change of1:31commanders. It is a democratic test, and1:33so far the system has held. President1:35Zelensky responded to the streets,1:37replaced a Soviet-era general with a1:39reformer, and kept the chain of1:40accountability intact while the war1:42continues.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗