Symbolic image

After weeks of protests, President Zelensky has dismissed the previous army chief Syrskyi and appointed General Mykhailo Drapatyi, regarded as a reformer, as commander-in-chief. The 43-year-old is seen as a critic of Soviet-style command culture and an advocate of a more modern drone war. The defense minister was also replaced.

With the appointment of Mykhailo Drapatyi, President Zelensky is responding to a protest movement that had demanded the resignation of the previous commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Le Figaro (France) describes the 43-year-old as a cold-blooded, popular reformer whose appointment appears as a concession to the demonstrators. The Economist (United Kingdom) emphasizes that Drapatyi wants to wage a "more modern war" and to overcome the Soviet-shaped command culture. Die taz (Germany) stresses that the protests are about more than a personnel decision, namely about how the country treats its own soldiers. The exile outlet Meduza (Russia) frames the change as a power struggle over the question of how the war is to be won, and points to visible nervousness among Russian military bloggers. It is notable that Drapatyi had resigned a year ago after the deaths of twelve soldiers and is now returning to the top. The sources agree that with him and a new defense minister a change of course in the conduct of the war is to be set in motion.