Ukraine's wartime power struggle just claimed another top general. President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday dismissed commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and tapped ground forces commander Mykhailo Drapatyi to lead the military, following days of public anger over last week's ouster of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. The back-to-back shake-ups mark the sharpest leadership crisis of Zelensky's presidency, with rare street protests in Kyiv and the resignation of a senior air force commander in solidarity with Fedorov, NBC News reports.
The clash centers on how Ukraine fights the war. Syrskyi, 60, is viewed as an old-school commander emphasizing infantry and artillery; Fedorov, 35, is credited with pushing drones and other technologies that have enabled Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia. Critics called Syrskyi "the Butcher," pointing to "meat-grinder" tactics that caused heavy losses of Ukrainian troops, the Telegraph reports. Zelensky said last week that he was effectively forced to choose between the two after they stopped communicating.
Fedorov has accused Syrskyi of blocking reforms and avoiding direct talks about "problems," while warning that halting Ukraine's drone-focused trajectory risks battlefield setbacks. It's not yet clear whether Fedorov will stay in government in another role. Zelensky said Tuesday that he had offered him a "prominent" role overseeing the country's tech sector, though it's not clear whether he will hold out for reinstatement as defense chief, the Telegraph reports. On Telegram, Federov congratulated Drapatyi on his appointment. "This is new air and new hope in the struggle of free people for freedom and justice," he wrote. "The voice of change that could not be ignored."
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