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What the Syrskyi dismissal meant for Kyiv
Summary
A look back at the command change announced days before 23 July 2026, and the protests that surrounded it.
What did the removal of Ukraine's commander-in-chief signal as of 23 July 2026? Two days earlier, on 21 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
He named Mykhailo Drapatyi, until then commander of the Joint Forces, as the replacement.
The decision came amid protests. One account of the day linked them to the removal of defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov; another described them as demands for Syrskyi's removal. The two descriptions differ, but both place the dismissal against a backdrop of street pressure over the leadership of Ukraine's defence.
What the change involved
The move placed a serving Joint Forces commander at the head of the armed forces, so the appointment came from within the military command. It also meant that, by 23 July 2026, both the defence ministry and the top military post had been affected by leadership changes within days of each other.
The president made the decision, and the appointment took effect as part of the same announcement.
