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Ukraine's New Top General Gets a Vote of Confidence From Front-Line Troops
Troops across multiple brigades say Brig. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi is a forward-thinking commander who listens. The key question is who he works with next.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed 43-year-old Brig. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi as the country's new commander in chief on Tuesday, replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi. The change came days after the shock removal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a reformist who had clashed with Syrskyi and other senior generals.
Front-line troops across multiple brigades told Business Insider they expect Drapatyi to bring faster decision-making, more openness to battlefield innovation, and a command style that contrasts sharply with Syrskyi's slower, top-down approach.
"He knows how to listen and keeps his word, even when it comes to small promises," said Fizruk, a strike drone company commander with the 82nd Air Assault Brigade until recently, who fought under Drapatyi in the Kharkiv region. Fizruk said Drapatyi planned operations "methodically and effectively" and would wear a green Ukrainian Armed Forces T-shirt to fit in with the team. "I do have his phone number," he added.
Syrskyi, 60, oversaw several Ukrainian victories since early 2024 but drew criticism for resisting change and sticking to a rigid command structure that troops said cost lives. The new appointment was widely celebrated across the front. One uncrewed ground vehicle operator said he hopes "that General Mykhailo Drapatyi will go down in history as the general who won a victory over Russia."
The commander of a UGV unit in the 2nd "Khartia" Corps, who goes by the call sign Mathematician, called Drapatyi "maybe the best choice" to replace Syrskyi, describing him as forward-thinking on ground robots. Andriy, an enlisted soldier in the 100th Mechanized Brigade's VORON drone unit, said he expects a "more rational approach in the use of personnel." Alex, an officer in Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, said Drapatyi is a commander with "real combat experience" who is willing to see different perspectives, predicting a morale boost.
A key trigger for the shake-up was Fedorov's ousting last week. Fedorov had been mired in a rivalry with Syrskyi and other generals, whom he accused of balking at his aggressive reforms and anti-corruption campaigns. Syrskyi denied a rift. When Fedorov was left out of Zelenskyy's cabinet reshuffle, thousands protested in Kyiv and other cities, demanding Syrskyi be fired instead. Drapatyi's name surged as the replacement pick.