Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed 43-year-old Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi as the head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Drapatyi gained fame in 2014 in Mariupol, where he drove an armored vehicle through a barricade to rescue police officers taken hostage by pro-Russian separatists.

He previously commanded the Land Forces and the Joint Forces. Zelenskyy stated that they share “a desire for victory over the enemy.” Drapatyi replaces 60-year-old General Oleksandr Syrskii, who defended Kyiv in 2022 and planned the incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.

Syrskii was nicknamed “the Butcher” by soldiers due to his alleged indifference to casualties. Drapatyi prefers Western warfare tactics over outdated Soviet methods. In 2023, he said Russia “does not have the right to exist in its current form.”

However, experts note that Drapatyi’s appointment does not resolve contradictions between the General Staff and the Defense Ministry. The system remains Soviet-era and does not meet NATO standards.

Meanwhile, the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov sparked massive protests in Kyiv. Fedorov was successful in drone warfare but was fired after a conflict with Syrskii. He was offered a presidential adviser role but declined.

Russia reacted indifferently to Drapatyi’s appointment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed it would not change the front-line situation and that “the Kyiv regime is being shaken from within.”

Analysts say changes in the war’s direction depend on mobilization and technological breakthroughs. Fedorov’s dismissal maintains political tensions, though Drapatyi’s appointment has partially eased them.

Source: www.aljazeera.com