Ukraine appoints new army commander and targets Wildberries
Amidst a deepening political crisis sparked by the dismissal of the popular reformist Defense Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, in the early hours of Wednesday, following days of protests in Kyiv and across the country demanding his removal.
In the most significant change in military leadership since the war with Russia began, Zelenskyy appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi (43) as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Army.
Drapatyi is a respected veteran who led the Ground Forces from 2024 to 2025. Viewed as a general of the new generation and a symbol of resistance, he has participated in combat against Russian forces and separatists since 2014.
Speaking while introducing Drapatyi, Zelenskyy said: “Our defense operations are ongoing and must continue steadily. Our shared desire is one: victory over the enemy, creating conditions on the front, and exerting pressure on Russia that will force it to peace.”
He explained that the decision followed a series of meetings with military leaders, which began shortly after the protests demanding Fedorov’s reinstatement erupted. Protesters viewed Fedorov as the driving force behind military modernization and called for Syrskyi’s removal, accusing him of embodying the old, Soviet-style command culture of the army.
Zelenskyy’s cabinet reshuffle last week and the dismissal of Fedorov (35), just six months after he took office, have raised concerns among analysts about the potential loss of the momentum Ukraine has recently gained on the battlefield.
Ukraine is seeking to take the initiative in the war by launching powerful strikes against the Russian energy sector—which represents the main source of budget revenue—and against logistical operations.
President Zelenskyy thanked Syrskyi, whom Fedorov had accused of forcing him out of his post and obstructing his efforts to reform the military establishment, for his achievements in fighting Russia. He also praised Syrskyi’s defense of Kyiv and operations in Kharkiv and Kursk.
Zelenskyy said: “I am grateful to Syrskyi and to each of our fighters for establishing Ukraine’s strong positions on the front lines,” adding, “I am also grateful to Drapatyi for embracing the same vision.”
Syrskyi (60) has served as Army Commander since 2024 and is considered one of Kyiv’s most experienced military leaders, having commanded the defense operations of the capital at the outset of the Russian invasion in 2022.
On a separate front, the German military stated that soldiers from a mechanized engineering unit arrived in Poland earlier this month to work with the Polish Army on digging anti-tank trenches, erecting tank barriers, and establishing field fortifications and combat positions along the border with Belarus and the Russian Kaliningrad region.
A statement from the German Army said: “This initiative aims to slow down any potential invasion by these forces in the event of a military conflict, thereby enhancing the ability of Polish and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces to respond.”
Poland, a member of the European Union and NATO, is one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters in its war with Russia and considers itself threatened by Moscow. Consequently, the Polish government is investing billions of euros in the “Eastern Shield” project, a fortified defensive line along parts of its eastern borders.
According to Polish authorities, “several dozen” German Army engineers are participating in the mission, stationed in the Masuria region within the Polish Ground Forces’ training center in Bemowo Piskie. The mission is initially scheduled to last until the end of next October.
