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Zelenskyy fires Ukraine's army chief and offers Fedorov 'prominent position'

The Guardian · back to the audit

After nationwide protests Oleksandr Syrskyi is to be replaced in reshuffle and popular defence minister returns to government

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired Ukraine's commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and offered a "prominent position" to the defence minister he sacked last week in a move that sparked nationwide protests.

In a late-night TV address, Zelenskyy said he was appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi, a popular and innovative general, as the new head of Ukraine's armed forces. Drapatyi would oversee a reorganisation of the army's command structure, Ukraine's president said.

Zelenskyy said he was bringing Mykhailo Fedorov back into government after his removal as defence minister prompted thousands of people to demonstrate in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, in one of the biggest political crises since Russia's 2022 invasion.

It is unclear what Fedorov's new role will be, amid reports that he was insisting on being given his old job back as defence minister. This has now been filled by Yevhen Khmara, a former special operations commander.

Zelenskyy said he met Fedorov on Tuesday. "I offered Mykhailo a prominent position within the government that would enable him to unify the technological sector of our state and ensure its development," he said, without giving further details.