Ukraine's Zelenskyy fires military chief after days of protests
Mass protests in recent days in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities had called for the removal of commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has named Mykhailo
Mass protests in recent days in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities had called for the removal of commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has named Mykhailo Drapatyi as the army's new chief. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday that he was removing Oleksandr Syrskyi, the army's commander-in-chief, from his post.
"I have decided that the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapatyi... I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to each of our warriors for Ukraine's strong front-line positions," Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. Why did Zelenskyy sack his commander-in-chief?
The move comes as Zelenskyy has been facing mounting criticism over the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov last week. Following his sacking, Fedorov, 35, went public with his conflict with Syrskyi. Their dispute was mainly over a disagreement about the direction of Ukraine's war effort against Russia's ongoing invasion.
Fedorov's removal triggered massive protests that saw several thousand, mostly young people demonstrate in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv and other cities. They demanded that Syrski be removed and that Fedorov be reinstated. This is a developing story, more details to come... Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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