“We will jointly decide on an updated strategy of our defense (and) steps to continue the reform of the military system, to fulfill the requests for distribution of combatant commanders,” Zelenskyy said in a speech to the nation on Tuesday evening.
He also thanked Syrskyi for the previous successful operation in 2022 in Kyiv and Kharkiv and the 2024 raid in the Kursk region of Russia.
Joint Forces Commander Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi will be the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Zelenskyy said in his speech.
Drapatyi is an experienced field commander who successfully organized the defense of Kharkiv in 2024 from a Russian attack. He was among the first Ukrainian commanders to openly support Fedorov last week.
Ukraine has seen protests across the country since Zelenskyy fired Fedorov, and it is far from certain that the removal of Syrskyi will be enough to stop them.
Fedorov has declined to take any post outside of his former job as defense minister, two officials familiar with the negotiations told POLITICO. It is unclear whether he has accepted Zelenskyy’s latest offer to return to government.
He praised Drapatyi, however, calling him a “breath of fresh air.” He also called Syrskyi to thank him for his success in Kyiv and Kharkiv, calling them now “part of history.”
“But we need to move quickly and write a new chapter, correcting all previous mistakes,” Fedorov he said.
