In a major move in the midst of war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired his military chief and is trying to bring back a former defense minister – just days after removing him, Sky News reported on the military leadership shake-up in Kiev.
Zelensky is certainly trying to restore stability to his military team after the outbreak of a self-inflicted, internecine conflict that only benefited Russia.
Ultimately, Zelensky had no choice but to dismiss General Oleksandr Syrsky as commander-in-chief after almost a week of protests against his earlier decision to remove Mykhailo Fedorov from the leadership of the Defense Ministry.
There has been friction between Fedorov and the 60-year-old Syrsky for months, with the former saying he asked the president to fire the general but was forced to resign instead. Syrsky will be replaced by a younger but similarly battle-hardened – and more popular – commander named Mykhailo Drapati. Zelensky also said he had spoken to Fedorov to offer him a "prominent position" back in the government.
Fedorov, supported by many Ukrainians in the protests, is well-liked and seen as an innovator and a driving force behind the evolution of drone warfare.
Syrsky, who learned his trade in the Soviet-era Ukrainian army, had become extremely unpopular with many of his own troops as commander-in-chief. Zelensky thanked him for his service.
The new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Mykhailo Drapati, said he had been tasked with stepping up the counteroffensive and launching a new operation on Russian territory.