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Ukraine's Zelenskyy fires his military chief after protests and names a new one
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− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Ukraine's Zelenskyy fires his military chief President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Gen.
+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Ukraine overhauls its military top brass Ukraine pushed on with its fight against Russia's invasion under new military leadership Wednesday, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bowed to public pressure and fired his commander-in-chief.
− Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces following days of protests demanding his removal. Zelenskyy appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new army chief.
− By
The Associated Press
Activists hold a portrait of Ukraine's Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi demanding his resignation during a rally against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to dismiss Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after six months in the post, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, July 18.
+ By
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, shakes hands with new commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 20, 2026.
− Efrem Lukatsky/AP hide caption
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday fired Gen.
+ (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/via AP hide caption
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine pushed on with its fight against Russia's invasion under new military leadership Wednesday, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bowed to public pressure and fired his commander-in-chief.
Ukraine has made significant progress in the war this year, and a rift between the country's outgoing army chief and its defense minister threatened to derail its efforts.
− Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces following days of mass protests in Kyiv and other cities nationwide demanding his removal.
+ Both men lost their jobs following Zelenskyy's major government reshuffle last week.
− Zelenskyy appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new army chief, according to a statement on social media.
+ The top-level changes late Tuesday were intended to draw a line under an unwelcome spasm of political turmoil that lasted almost a week and prompted rejoicing in Russia.
− "Our shared wish is one — victory over the enemy and conditions at the front and in pressure on Russia that would force Russia toward peace," Zelenskyy said.
+ It was not clear whether Zelenskyy's measures would achieve that goal.
− The Ukrainian leader said he made the decision after a series of meetings with military commanders.
+ The new army chief, 43-year-old Maj.
− They began shortly after protests broke out demanding the reinstatement of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, seen by demonstrators as a driver of military modernization, and the removal of Syrskyi, who they said embodied the army's old, Soviet-style command culture.
+ Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, belongs to a new generation of Ukrainian generals who have come up through the ranks during the battle against Russian aggression. He became known for his daring and courage in 2014, the year that Russia seized and illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula — eight years before Moscow's all-out invasion.
− Zelenskyy thanked Syrskyi for his achievements in Ukraine's fight against Russia and praised him for the defense of Kyiv and for operations in Kharkiv and Kursk.
+ In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, new commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi looks on during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 20, 2026.
− "I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to every one of our warriors for Ukraine's strong front-line positions," he said.
+ Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/via AP hide caption
Zelenskyy said Drapatyi and other commanders must present an updated defense strategy, including continued reform of the corps system, faster weapon and drone deliveries, stronger air defense against Russian strikes, and a clearer mobilization plan.
Zelenskyy met separately Tuesday with outgoing defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a 35-year-old tech-savvy entrepreneur credited with swiftly developing Ukraine's drone technology that has given it a battlefield edge.
Fedorov locked horns with outgoing commander-in-chief Gen.
− "I am grateful to Mykhailo Drapatyi for holding that same view."
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy separately met with Fedorov and offered him what he called a respected position in government that would unify the country's technology sector.
+ Oleksandr Syrskyi, a 60-year-old veteran trained in the Soviet Union before Ukraine's independence.
World Zelenskyy fires Ukraine's tech-savvy defense minister in government reshuffle Street protests in Kyiv and other cities demanded Fedorov's return, viewing him as a key military modernizer, and urged Zelenskyy to fire Syrskyi, regarded as part of the old guard.
Zelenskyy offered Fedorov what he called a respected position in the government that would unify the country's technology sector.
− But it wasn't clear if Fedorov accepted the offer and whether the latest moves would satisfy protesters and bring peace to the streets.
+ It wasn't clear if Fedorov accepted the offer -- or whether the latest moves would satisfy protesters and calm the streets.
+ Fedorov said after his dismissal last week that he had been offered jobs by some global defense tech companies.
Fedorov supported Drapatyi's appointment, calling it a "new hope in the fight of free people for freedom and justice" and "a voice for change that could not go unheard."
Fedorov had criticized Syrskyi publicly before his dismissal, saying the general was blocking his reform efforts and needed to be replaced for Ukraine not to fail in its resistance against Russia.
Syrskyi defended his wartime record in a statement Wednesday.
Among other things, he claimed Ukrainian forces had clawed back 743 square kilometers (287 square miles) of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory this year and said he was handing his successor an army that was not only defending but also conducting offensive operations.
It was not possible to independently verify his claim.
Fedorov called Syrskyi to thank him for his military triumphs, including defending the Kyiv region at the time of Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion, the Kharkiv counteroffensive operation later that year and other battles, calling them "already an important part of Ukraine's history." But he added that the country must "move even faster and write new chapters, correcting all previous mistakes."
The political crisis began last Thursday, when Zelenskyy overhauled his wartime government, replacing his prime minister and firing Fedorov after just six months in the post.
The reshuffle immediately drew thousands of protesters into the streets of Kyiv and other cities, framing Fedorov's removal as Zelenskyy siding with an entrenched military old guard over a reformer.
The political maneuvers took place against a backdrop of continued deadly strikes by Russia and Ukraine onto each other's soil.
Ukrainian drones overnight struck two more sprawling warehouses of Russia's major online retailer, Wildberries, in Russia's southern regions of Krasnodar and Stavropol, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim and Russian officials said Wednesday.
The strikes came four days after Ukraine's long-range drones hit massive Wildberries warehouses in the Moscow region and in the Tambov region, killing eight people and wounding dozens, according to officials.
Zelenskyy said, without naming the facilities, that they were used by Russia to supply sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation equipment.
Russian attacks, meanwhile, have also struck several major Ukrainian logistics hubs and retail facilities over the past week.
Rescue workers try to put out a fire of a residential building burning after a Russian air guided bomb strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Kateryna Klochko/AP hide caption
Russia attacked Ukraine with four missiles of various types and 216 long-range strike drones overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, according to the Ukrainian air force.
In the southern Odesa region, a Russian drone killed a woman when it struck a two-story apartment building, regional military administration head Oleh Kiper said.