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Analysis: New Commander-in-Chief Drapatyi faces a manpower mess of Syrskyi's making
['Francis Farrell', 'Senior Reporter', 'Francis Farrell Is A Senior Reporter At The Kyiv Independent. He Is The Co-Author Of War Notes', "The Kyiv Independent'S Weekly Newsletter About The War. For The Second Year In A Row", 'The Kyiv Independent Received A Grant The Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust To Support His Front-Line Reporting For The Year Francis Won The Prix Bayeux Calvados-Normandy For War Correspondents In The Young Reporter Category In', 'Was Nominated For The European Press Prize In', 'Francis Speaks Ukrainian', 'Hungarian', 'Is An Alumnus Of Leiden University In The Hague', 'University College London. He Has Previously Worked As A Managing Editor At The Online Media Project Lossi']
The Kyiv Independent
Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi during his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 24, 2026.
The words of Mykhailo Drapatyi, posted on Facebook just days before he was named Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, foreshadowed the challenges he would soon face.
Two and a half years after he took over the job from popular general Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Oleksandr Syrskyi's tenure as head of Ukraine's military is over.
Taking controlOn the one hand, Drapatyi is lucky to assume the job of commander-in-chief at a time when the front line is largely stable.
Another hallmark of Syrskyi's command culture was how it often incentivized false reporting from commanders in the field.