Zelensky Sacks Ukraine Army Chief Syrskyi After Days of Street Protests

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed the country's army commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, capping a week of upheaval at the top of Ukraine's war effort.

The move comes days after the removal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a decision that triggered street protests across the country. Initial rumours that Fedorov's departure was connected to a conflict between the two men were soon confirmed.

Fedorov, 35, had been widely praised for energising the defence ministry, transforming the armed forces and leading a drive against corruption. He was appointed only in January, but built a reputation for using data to analyse and improve performance along the front line. A former minister of digital transformation, he was active from the earliest days of the full-scale invasion, setting up a volunteer "IT Army of Ukraine" to launch cyber-attacks against Russia. He later led the Army of Drones fundraising campaign and introduced elements of gamification to the war, designing a system that awarded military units credits for hitting Russian assets.

Syrskyi, 60, is regarded by many in Ukraine as a Soviet-school commander reluctant to implement radical change. He defended his record in a farewell address on Telegram. An army that was fighting a difficult defensive campaign two years ago, he wrote, is now on the offensive.

"I am handing over to my successor an army that is not only holding the line but is advancing," Syrskyi wrote. "I sincerely hope this offensive will continue."

His replacement is Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, a popular and battle-hardened general. "I will work responsibly, with full focus, and with respect for the people who are defending our country today," Drapatyi said on Facebook. He thanked Syrskyi "for his consistent work to strengthen the Ukrainian army", adding: "I grew up in it."

In a video posted late on Tuesday, Zelensky thanked Syrskyi for his military campaigns, singling out his role in successfully defending Kyiv during the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The president also revealed that he had met Fedorov earlier in the day and offered him a "worthy position in power", though he did not say whether the offer had been accepted. Fedorov was replaced last week by Yevhenii Khmara, a former senior official at Ukraine's Security Service.

"All decisions will be formalised tomorrow," Zelensky said.

Fedorov, for his part, congratulated Drapatyi on the appointment, describing it as a "new hope in the fight of free people for freedom and justice". He said he had called Syrskyi to thank him for the defence of the Kyiv region and other "historic battles", but added a pointed note about the pace of change: "We need to move even faster and write new chapters correcting all previous mistakes."

Reported from the BBC.