Frozen copy retrieved 2026-07-31T06:30:00Z for audit 2026-07-31T06-54-43Z. Original URL: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/21/zelenskyy-replaces-ukraine-military-chief-after-protests. The Stochastic Parrot does not host or redistribute; this snapshot exists solely so that quoted spans remain verifiable if the original page changes. Character offsets below index into this plain text; highlighted spans are the quotes cited in the audit.

Zelenskyy replaces Ukraine military chief after protests

Al Jazeera · back to the audit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired Oleksandr Syrskii as the country's commander-in-chief, appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi to lead the military.

The move comes after six days of protests in the capital, Kyiv, sparked by the removal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had previously clashed with Syrskii.

Zelenskyy said Tuesday's decision to appoint Drapatyi was made to "reset" the ongoing defence against Russia's invading troops.

Fedorov, who was seen by many as pivotal to the war effort, was removed from his post last week, leading to widespread anger across Ukraine.

Zelenskyy met with Fedorov on Tuesday and offered him what he called "a respected position in the government that would unify the country's technology sector". It was not clear if Fedorov accepted the offer, according to the Associated Press news agency.

It is unclear if the changes will pacify the demonstrators, who have been demanding accountability and a more effective military strategy.