Zelenskyy ousts Ukraine’s army chief as protests expose wartime power struggle
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has moved to oust top army commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, and sought to bring the country's former defense minister...
Key points
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has moved to oust top army commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, and sought to bring the country's former defense minister back into government just days after dismissing him.
- In a late-night television address, Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he was appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces and thanked the outgoing Syrskyi for playing a key role in Kyiv's defense early in the war.
- "The operations of Ukraine's Defense Forces are ongoing and must continue without disruption.
- Drapatyi thanked Zelenskyy and paid tribute to Syrskyi for his work to strengthen the country's armed forces.
What happened
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has moved to oust top army commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, and sought to bring the country's former defense minister back into government just days after dismissing him. In a late-night television address, Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he was appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces and thanked the outgoing Syrskyi for playing a key role in Kyiv's defense early in the war. "The operations of Ukraine's Defense Forces are ongoing and must continue without disruption. Drapatyi thanked Zelenskyy and paid tribute to Syrskyi for his work to strengthen the country's armed forces. Ukraine's president also said he held a meeting with former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and offered him a "worthy leadership position that would allow him to bring together our country's technological capabilities and ensure their continued development." Fedorov, who is seen as a popular figure and an advocate of Ukraine's drone warfare, was dismissed last week in a surprise move that triggered protests in several Ukrainian cities. In a post on social media, Fedorov congratulated Drapatyi on his appointment as...