Ukraine: shake-up at the top of the military – Zelenskyy removes Syrsky. Who is the new commander, Drapatyi?

 Drapatiyi has a military record to be proud of: he took part in the liberation of Mariupol as early as 2014. In March 2022, he led the defence of Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown. She commanded the Kherson operational group and was one of the commanders who led the liberation of the region. Since February 2024, her rise through the military ranks has continued with her appointment as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. From there, her career has gone from strength to strength. The decisive factor in this latest promotion, however, appears to be political in nature: on 16 July, Drapatyi had expressed his support for Fedorov, stating that during the months he led the Ministry of Defence, a genuine dialogue and interaction had been established between the ministry and the armed forces. “We all want the same thing,” added Zelenskyy in the message in which he sacked Syrskyy, “to defeat the enemy and create the conditions – on the front line and by putting pressure on Russia – that will enable us to force Moscow to make peace.”

After consulting with military commanders as well, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held ‘key talks’ on 20 July regarding the appointment of the new Chief of the General Staff. ‘I have continued to speak with highly experienced Ukrainian military personnel. Mykhailo Drapatiy, Volodymyr Horbatyuk, Oleg Apostol: each of them is well known within the army,” he explained.

“The meeting involved both reports on the situation on the various fronts and a general discussion on the course of the war. It is important to assess our future strategy and our concrete actions as Ukraine, and to understand how to compel Russia to bring this war to an end with a peace that is dignified for Ukraine and provides security guarantees,” he continued.

“This is a multifaceted issue, and I want to hear how the commanders of our Ukrainian Defence and Security Forces view it. I have some crucial talks ahead of me. Ukraine must achieve its objectives, and so it will,” added the leader in Kyiv. All this follows the Fedorov case and the long list of dismissals within the Ukrainian government that is causing so much debate.

Meanwhile, on the war front, it appears that more than 400 drones were launched towards Moscow during the night. This was reported by the mayor of the Russian capital, who stated that ‘most’ of them were shot down. ‘Between 8.30 pm and 5.00 am, more than 400 enemy drones headed towards the Moscow area. Most were neutralised by air defence forces whilst still some distance from the city. 85 drones were destroyed as they approached Moscow,” said Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. “Six people with injuries of varying severity, caused by an explosion, were taken to hospital,” the hospital reported. The town of Domodedovo is home to one of Moscow’s international airports. Kyiv was hit during the night between Saturday and Sunday by one of the “largest ballistic missile attacks” ever recorded, according to President Zelensky, who reported one fatality and 16 injured.

The Ukrainian president himself warns that ‘in the waters of the Black Sea, two oil tankers from the “ghost fleet” and four Russian cargo ships have been struck’. ‘Moscow Region. We are seeing the results of our long-range strikes against logistics facilities and the oil depot,” he writes in a post on X. “I would like to thank the soldiers of the Unmanned Systems Forces, the intelligence services, the missile and artillery forces, and the Special Operations Forces. The distance from our borders to the targets exceeds 400 kilometres.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher in Kyiv, thanking him for confirming the Holy See’s willingness to host a possible summit between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Holy See’s delegation was in Kyiv at the very moment Russia launched its massive attack against our people. Russia does not want to put an end to these attacks, which is why it is so important to continue working for peace,” the Ukrainian president stated on X, adding that “one of the formats that could help make this possible is a meeting at leader level”. “I thank the Vatican for its willingness to host such a meeting and to continue doing everything possible to facilitate its organisation,” Zelensky remarked.