Who is Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief, Mykhailo Drapati?

Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapati, 43, replaced Oleksandr Sirski as Ukraine’s commander-in-chief — his third since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

His appointment was accepted by both the civil society and the military. Drapati’s name was chanted at protests that began in support of his friend, former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, but called for Sirsky’s dismissal.

“There is no one better for this position in Ukraine at the moment,” one Ukrainian soldier told the BBC.

Drapatyi’s support is based on his military experience in post-Soviet Ukraine, his ability as a field general, and his reputation among the military as a humane and strong commander.

In the year

It gained notoriety 10 years later when a video of an infantry fighting vehicle crashing into a makeshift compound went viral.

In the year It was May 2014 and pro-Russian separatists had taken control of parts of Ukraine, when Drapati’s battalion entered the southern city of Maripol to free hostages held by the city’s police department.

They later recalled being told there were barriers more than a meter high and being asked what to do. In an interview, he said, “I said let’s take it by storm. This video flew around the world.”

Later that year, he was credited with evacuating the besieged parts of Ukraine near the Luhansk region border.

Drapati returned to university in 2021 for further operational and tactical training and was awarded an honorary sword by British Ambassador Melinda Simmons as a senior graduate in June 2021.

In the year When the Russian general invasion began in February 2022, Drapati was the deputy commander of the joint forces.

He led task forces – ad hoc task forces – in several areas of the front, successfully pushing back the advance of Russian troops into Kriviy Rih and liberating several settlements in the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

In the year By 2024, the Ukrainian Army was leading ground troops and operating task forces in some of the most intense combat areas of the East.

Less than a year later, a training site in the Dnipropetrovsk region was targeted by a Russian missile, killing 12 soldiers and injuring 60.

Drapathy submitted his resignation the same day, saying he took personal responsibility for the “conspiracy of silence and impunity” that led to the deaths. “

“An army in which the commanders are personally responsible for the lives of their personnel will live. An army in which no one is responsible for a disaster will die,” he wrote.

This was seen as a sign of personal responsibility, and the decision to appoint Zelensky as the commander of the joint forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was widely praised.

A rift with Sirski has been rumored ever since.

“Drapatyi is a relatively young general. He is talented. He is always sent to places where the situation is very difficult,” an unnamed officer told Ukrainian media in June 2025. “I don’t think he has a political interest. But I’m sure his ambitions are not limited to the position of commander of the ground forces or joint forces.”

A year later, Sirsky is gone, and Drapathai’s hopes are high.

“Drapatyi has a very good reputation among the rank and file – especially those who have joined as civilians after 2022,” says Mykola Bieleskov, chief analyst at the Ukrainian NGO. But Drapatyi said he had to operate under severe restrictions.

“The commander-in-chief has a lot of energy. But war is dependent on the government, the president’s office, military suppliers,[Western]allies…so he has a tricky road ahead of him.”

With the prospect of a ceasefire with Russia slim, Ukraine faces another winter of intense war.

Manpower mobilization is a priority, and Drapati is expected to fight corruption at all levels of the army, from conscription to defense procurement.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s impressive technological advances and growing technological defense industry should be guided by Ukraine’s recent battlefield successes.

In his first message after taking over as commander-in-chief, Drapathy acknowledged the gravity of his task and promised those on the frontlines to work “without giving voice, with responsibility and respect for our decisions”.

Many want a change from what is seen as Sirski’s “outdated” way of fighting, a barbaric assault with little benefit to human life.

“This is a big role and people expect rapid change,” said analyst Bieleskov, while warning of “oversimplification” that calls for extensive reforms in an unrealistic timeframe.

This was echoed by Oleksiy Kopytko, a former adviser to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. As the Commander-in-Chief, he said, “Today you are worshiped by all, loved by all, tomorrow you are not loved by all, from tomorrow you are guilty of all, and your success is of no use.”

In the year Valery Zaluzini Drapatyi, who was removed as the commander of the army in 2024, “predicted that he would have a very difficult time. Much more difficult than he thought”.

But among many soldiers and ordinary Ukrainians there is palpable enthusiasm for the new paradigm shift that Drapatyi represents. One said that if Mikhail Fedorov returned as defense minister, his and Drapati’s leadership would be “Russia’s worst nightmare.”

In the year

“There is resistance to be expected, but there is a need to intensify efforts,” he said.

He faces the same problems in his new job – albeit with a larger, nationwide view.

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