Zelensky facing growing crisis after firing of commander-in-chief after days of protests

Ukraine’s commander in chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, was fired by President Volodymyr Zelensky after days of protests had descended on the country’s capital, Kyiv, and other major cities.

Zelensky announced on social media on Tuesday that he would replace Syrskyi with Mykhailo Drapatyi, entrusting him with one of the most important jobs in a country at war with Russia for almost five years.

“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,” Zelensky wrote on social media.

Zelensky 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.

“I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to every one of our warriors for Ukraine’s strong front-line positions,” he said. “I am grateful to Mykhailo Drapatyi for holding that same view.”

Meanwhile, Syrskyi expressed confusion about being fired from the job, writing in a newspaper column Monday that he was “surprised to learn the minister and I had a conflict.”

“I perceived our relationship as a working one: with complex issues, with different positions. This is how it should be between two institutions during a major war,” he wrote.

Drapatyi wrote in a Facebook post that serving Ukraine “has always been an honor for me, and during this war for independence, it means absolute responsibility.” He thanked Syrskyi for his consistent work strengthening the Ukrainian military.

DON’T MISS…

Incredible moment elderly Ukrainian residents evacuated via ground robot

Ukraine’s massive 400-drone raid hits Moscow region logistics network

“I grew up in it,” he added, referring to the army. “I will work responsibly, with focus and with respect for the people defending our state today.”

The Ukrainian leader said he decided to appoint the new army chief after a series of meetings with military commanders. 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.

In his column, Syrskyi offered a personal apology to Fedorov, writing: “I can be harsh. But I ask you, and everyone following this story with enthusiasm: let’s focus not on the personal but on the global. On victory.”