Who will be Ukraine's next Commander-in-Chief in 2026?Mykhailo Drapatyi

Today, the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapatyi, officially assumed his duties – the changes have already taken place. Together with Mykhailo and Yevhenii Khmara, we determined that Ihor Skybiuk will become the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – that decision has also already been made. These are battle-tested, experienced men. The troops know them – Drapatyi, Khmara, and Skybiuk. We agreed that the modernization of Ukraine's Defense Forces will be developed. It is essential that everything proceeds in full coordination and that the Russians are not given a single opening or opportunity. Russia must feel growing pressure and tougher sanctions: our long-range sanctions, our mid-range strikes, and our strong positions on the front. All of this will be delivered. Today, I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone in Ukraine – every servicemember and every civilian – for the trust they have placed in our new military leadership. It is important that this trust translates into stronger motivation for our defenders, and it is important that our guys stay strong and live up to the trust that society has shown them. We are giving them every tool they need.

On July 21, Zelensky dismissed Syrsky from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapaty to this position. The decision was made against the backdrop of six days of “cardboard protests” in Kyiv and other cities. Drapaty became famous in 2014 during the defense of Mariupol. Later, he withdrew troops from the Izvarynsk Cauldron, commanded the 58th Brigade near Avdiivka, and participated in the defense of the south and the stabilization of the situation in the Kharkiv region. Before being appointed Commander-in-Chief, he headed the Joint Forces Group. The most critical moment in his career was his resignation from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces after two Russian strikes on a training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region. At least 12 soldiers were killed and another 60 were injured. At the same time, the military publicly supported Drapaty. Even before the appointment of Mykhailo Drapaty, Suspilne turned to people who served, worked, or fought under his leadership or with him. Read what we managed to learn about the youngest commander-in-chief in the history of Ukraine in the material.

Who is Mykhailo Drapatyi, Ukraine's new commander-in-chief?

Zelensky signed a decree appointing Drapaty as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree appointing Mykhailo Drapaty as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The corresponding decree No. 630/2026 was published on the president's website on Wednesday.... #commander-in-chief #drapaty #decree #zelensky @interfax_uk

Decrees appointing Drapaty as Commander-in-Chief and Skybyuk as Chief of the General Staff have been published on the President's website. "To appoint Mykhailo Vasylovich Drapaty as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," reads decree No. 630/202.

Mykhailo Drapatyi assumed the role of commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces Wednesday while Ihor Skybiuk began work as chief of the General Staff. • • Western defence officials told @FT they were happy with the new appointment. • •

Drapaty officially assumed the duties of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine He confirmed that Major General Ihor Skybyuk, the former commander of the Airborne Assault Forces, will become the Chief of the General Staff in his command. According to Drapaty, they met in 2022 during the operation to liberate the Kherson region, and since then he has known Skybyuk as a commander who can be trusted in the most difficult circumstances. Drapaty also stated that the president has set the new command the task of strengthening offensive operations, planning new operations behind enemy lines, developing the army, and increasing the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. [in reply to: Commander of the "flying infantry fighting vehicle": what is known about the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapatyi, a major general who rose from a battalion commander to one of the key commanders of the Ukrainian army. At the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, Drapatyi commanded the 2nd battalion of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade. It was then that the famous video of the "flying BMP" that broke through the barricade of pro-Russian militants in Mariupol appeared. In the summer of 2014, he withdrew 260 soldiers and more than 30 pieces of equipment from the Izvarynsk Cauldron, covering more than 160 km under enemy fire. Later, he commanded the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, carried out combat missions in the Avdiivka area and the Bakhmut highway. In 2021, he received the Queen's Transitional Sword as the best graduate of the National Defense University of Ukraine. During the full-scale war, he led the "South", "Kherson", "Kharkiv" OTU, as well as the "Luhansk" operational-tactical group. In November 2024, he was appointed commander Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and after his resignation in June 2025, he headed the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Now Mykhailo Drapaty will lead the Armed Forces of Ukraine as the new Commander-in-Chief. Add News.LIVE as a reliable news source on Google]

We determined the sequence of the next steps. Today, the decisions on the changes in the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be formalized – the relevant decrees are in preparation. Together with Mykhailo Drapatyi and Yevhenii Khmara, we determined that Major General Ihor Skybiuk will become the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is a highly experienced officer who defended Ukraine shoulder to shoulder with the new Commander-in-Chief. It is important that all components of our Armed Forces continue to function in complete coordination. We also determined together how Oleksandr Syrskyi and Andrii Hnatov will continue serving in the defense of our country. • • We discussed the organizational decisions that need to be implemented, including the development of Ukraine's cyber forces, the training of our warriors, strengthening the capabilities of our units, and further developing the corps system. A practical, effective mobilization process was identified as a priority for ensuring the Armed Forces of Ukraine have the real ability to carry out their defense missions. I thanked Ukraine's Defense Forces for delivering on our plan of long-range sanctions against Russia, as well as for their consistency in executing our mid-strikes. Yevhenii Khmara is addressing the supply issues related to deep strikes and mid-strikes that were discussed over the past few days with combat commanders and weapons manufacturers. • • We reviewed the current situation and the implementation of our defense objectives in the Oleksandrivka direction, in the Donetsk region, and in other areas of intense fighting. I thank all Ukrainian units for their strength and for the successful execution of these operations. We determined the steps, decisions, and appointments that should accelerate the implementation of key initiatives to strengthen our air defense – our FREYJA anti-ballistic program, our work with the United States on licenses to produce Patriots, as well as our cooperation with European partners on the agreed joint programs. • • I thank Oleksandr Syrskyi and Andrii Hnatov! I wish Mykhailo Drapatyi and Ihor Skybiuk good luck in battle, victories for Ukraine, and success in striking the Russian occupiers! Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine!

As Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the President has made an extremely important personnel decision to renew the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Right now, our top priority is the command and control of our forces and complete focus on the front, because the enemy takes no pauses in this war. • • General Oleksandr Syrskyi, my sincere gratitude for your years of the hardest work, for your resilience, and for your dedication to Ukraine. You have done an extraordinary amount for Ukraine's defense. This includes defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv operation, the most difficult sectors of the front — and ultimately taking command of the Armed Forces at one of the most critical moments of the war. • • We worked together on those operations with the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, which I led, and I witnessed that work firsthand. • • I have known Mykhailo Drapatyi for a long time. He is a commander with real battlefield instincts who assesses the situation with a clear head, makes decisions quickly, and protects his people. The army trusts him, and that trust has been earned in combat. Mykhailo Vasylovych, major tasks lie ahead, and you have everything it takes to accomplish them. • • The army is strong, and its leadership is in reliable hands. We know what we stand for, and we know where we are headed. Our resilience is the path to victory. • • You can count on my full support and assistance. Our strength lies in our unity and in the responsibility of each of us.

The appointment of Drapatyi to replace Syrskyi was the culmination of Zelenskyy's large-scale crisis, NBC notes. The Guardian newspaper wrote that the post should be filled by a person who would not pose a political threat to Zelenskyy. Some facts about the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: Wanted in Russia. Previously, the Investigative Committee filed charges against Drapatoy in absentia. Under his leadership, Ukrainian militants carried out more than 70 shelling attacks on populated areas of the DPR and LPR, killing and wounding 154 people. He took charge of the Ground Forces in November 2024, replacing Oleksandr Pavlyuk. In June 2025, he resigned amid scandal after a series of attacks on training centers, effectively accusing commanders of not respecting the lives of soldiers. He also spoke of "mutual responsibility and impunity" in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, Drapatoy was not dismissed from the army. On June 3, 2025, after a conversation with Zelenskyy, he was appointed Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Also, from October 20, 2025, he became the commander of the group of forces responsible for the Kharkiv region. [in reply to: Oleksandr Syrsky was removed from the post of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Zelenskyy announced. The head of the Kyiv regime thanked Syrskyy for Ukraine's front-line positions. "Oleksandr Syrskyy ensured Ukraine's results in the defense of Kyiv, in the Kharkiv offensive operation, in the Kursk operation," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mykhailo Drapatiy has been appointed the new commander-in-chief. The composition of the General Staff of the Ukrainian troops will also be updated. ]

Mykhailo Drapatyi, Ukraine's new commander-in-chief of the armed forces: "Serving Ukraine has always been an honor for me, and during the war for independence it meant absolute responsibility." • • "I am grateful to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, for his consistent work to strengthen the Ukrainian army. I grew up in it." • • He says he will "work responsibly, focused and with respect for the people who are defending our state today." • • "Glory to the nation. Death to the enemies."

Breaking: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has replaced Kyiv’s military chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, after days of widespread protests against the removal of the country’s popular defense minister, whose ousting revealed an unprecedented public split in the military over its strategy in the war against Russia. • • Mykhailo Drapatyi, who is the commander of Ukraine’s Joint Forces, will become Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief, Zelensky announced on Tuesday evening. -@CNN

Zelenskyy’s full address tonight announcing the appointment of new Commander in Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi. He says the General Staff will also be reconfigured. Zelenskyy also offered former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov a new position, but did not say whether he’d accepted. As first reported @FT, Fedorov turned down an offer to head up a defense tech czar role at the National Security and Defense Council, saying he’d only take back MoD. More changes coming tomorrow and throughout the week.

Congratulations to Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi on his appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. • • This is a breath of fresh air and a new source of hope in the fight of free people for freedom and justice. It is the voice of change that could no longer be ignored. • • Now, the high expectations of the Ukrainian people must be met with a clear vision for bringing the War of Independence to a successful conclusion, a strong team and decisive action focused on saving the lives of our service members, accelerating the robotization of the battlefield, delivering asymmetric strikes and exhausting Russia’s economy. • • I also called General Oleksandr Syrskyi to thank him for the defense of the Kyiv region, the Kharkiv counteroffensive and other historic battles. • • These achievements are already an important part of Ukraine’s history. • • But now we must move even faster, write the next chapters of that history and correct the mistakes of the past. • • Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

I have decided that Mykhailo Drapatyi will become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Together with Mykhailo, Yevhenii Khmara, and Pavlo Palisa, we determined how the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should be reconfigured. It is a fact that Oleksandr Syrskyi delivered results for Ukraine in the defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv offensive, and the Kursk operation. We have come a long way, Ukraine's defense continues, and every warrior must be treated with dignity. I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to every one of our warriors for Ukraine's strong positions on the front. I am grateful to Mykhailo Drapatyi for sharing this vision. Today, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Andrii Hnatov, and I discussed future service formats and the proper handover of duties. We all want the same thing: to defeat the enemy and create the conditions – on the front line and through pressure on Russia – that would allow us to force Russia into peace. Tomorrow, we will formalize all of these decisions. Ukraine must emerge from this situation stronger, and it will be harder for Russia. Glory to Ukraine!

I have decided that Mykhailo Drapatyi will become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Together with Mykhailo, Yevhenii Khmara, and Pavlo Palisa, we determined how the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should be reconfigured. It is a fact that Oleksandr Syrskyi delivered results for Ukraine in the defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv offensive, and the Kursk operation. We have come a long way, Ukraine's defense continues, and every warrior must be treated with dignity. I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to every one of our warriors for Ukraine's strong positions on the front. I am grateful to Mykhailo Drapatyi for sharing this vision. Today, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Andrii Hnatov, and I discussed future service formats and the proper handover of duties. • • We all want the same thing: to defeat the enemy and create the conditions – on the front line and through pressure on Russia – that would allow us to force Russia into peace. Tomorrow, we will formalize all of these decisions. Ukraine must emerge from this situation stronger, and it will be harder for Russia. Glory to Ukraine!

Commander of the "flying infantry fighting vehicle": what is known about the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapatyi, a major general who rose from a battalion commander to one of the key commanders of the Ukrainian army. At the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, Drapatyi commanded the 2nd battalion of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade. It was then that the famous video of the "flying BMP" that broke through the barricade of pro-Russian militants in Mariupol appeared. In the summer of 2014, he withdrew 260 soldiers and more than 30 pieces of equipment from the Izvarynsk Cauldron, covering more than 160 km under enemy fire. Later, he commanded the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, carried out combat missions in the Avdiivka area and the Bakhmut highway. In 2021, he received the Queen's Transitional Sword as the best graduate of the National Defense University of Ukraine. During the full-scale war, he led the "South", "Kherson", "Kharkiv" OTU, as well as the "Luhansk" operational-tactical group. In November 2024, he was appointed commander Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and after his resignation in June 2025, he headed the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Now Mykhailo Drapaty will lead the Armed Forces of Ukraine as the new Commander-in-Chief. Add News.LIVE as a reliable news source on Google

Mykhailo Fedorov has congratulated Mykhailo Drapatyi on his appointment and gave credit to the Ukrainian people for influencing Zelenskyy's decision to choose him. • • "This is a breath of fresh air and new hope in the struggle... It is the voice of change that could not go unheard," he said in a statement. • • "Now the high expectations of the Ukrainian people must be met with a clear vision for bringing the war of independence to an end, a strong team, and decisive actions aimed at preserving the lives of our soldiers, robotising the front line, delivering asymmetric strikes, and exhausting the Russian economy."

Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi becomes Ukraine’s commander-in-chief