Zelensky, after six days of street protests, dismissed the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

🔸The president of Ukraine, after six days of protests in Kyiv and several other cities, dismissed the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces.

🔸According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, this unprecedented change at the highest level of the army’s command took place while Ukraine is in its fifth year of war with Russia and the forces of the two countries are engaged in battle along a line more than one thousand kilometers long.

🔸Late Tuesday, 30 Tir, Volodymyr Zelensky removed Oleksandr Syrskyi from the top command of the army and appointed Lieutenant General Mykhailo Drapati, commander of the Ground Forces, as his successor. The day after, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was also changed, and Lieutenant General Ihor Skybiuk was appointed in place of Lieutenant General Andrii Hnatchov.

🔸These changes followed protests that began in response to the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s 35-year-old defense minister. Zelensky, on July 15, about six months after Fedorov’s appointment, dismissed him from his post as part of broad cabinet changes.

🔸After his dismissal, Fedorov said he had previously requested that Syrskyi be removed, but Zelensky had not agreed to this request. In this way, in the first stage of the dispute between the defense minister and the commander-in-chief of the army, Zelensky kept Syrskyi in his position and removed Fedorov.

🔸The decision led to daily protests in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities starting July 16. Protesters—many of whom were young people—demanded Fedorov’s return to the Ministry of Defense and Syrskyi’s dismissal.

🔸Zelensky finally dismissed Syrskyi on the sixth day of the protests. However, the issue of Fedorov’s possible return to the Ministry of Defense has remained unaddressed.

🔸Read the full report on the Radio Farda website.