Zelenskyy Dismisses Commander-in-Chief Syrskyj

The president had initially stood by his commander-in-chief—who had been in office since 2024—despite criticism, after dismissing the popular politician Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister last week. Fedorov, who is only 35 years old, subsequently made public his conflict with Syrskyj, who had been trained during the Soviet era. The dispute centered primarily on a difference of opinion regarding the strategy of the war. Fedorov was primarily known for the use of Ukrainian drones against Russian targets, a strategy that has also been praised in the West.

Zelenskyy expressly thanked the outgoing general and praised his military achievements. In light of ongoing protests against Fedorov’s dismissal, the president had been holding talks with military officials for days, as he reported on the X platform.

New Position for Fedorow

As early as Saturday, in his daily video address, he had said—in light of the street protests—that he was listening to what people were saying. He also said he had spoken at length with Fedorov and Syrskyj.

According to Zelenskyy’s spokesperson, Dmytro Lytwyn, another conversation with Fedorov took place on Tuesday evening. Zelenskyy announced that Fedorov would be given a “dignified position” in which he could continue to oversee Ukraine’s technological development. He did not provide any details.

Demonstrations against Syrskyj and in support of Fedorov continued

For six consecutive days, several thousand people—mostly young people—protested in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and other cities against Fedorov’s dismissal. The demonstrators demanded his reinstatement. Their main demand, however, was the removal of Army Chief Syrskyj. At the same time, there was open support for Syrskyj from military circles.

On Friday, intelligence official Yevhen Khmara took over Fedorov’s post as defense minister on an interim basis. However, Zelenskyy must still submit Khmara’s nomination to Parliament and have him confirmed by lawmakers.

Ukraine has been fighting back against the Russian invasion for more than four years. Syrskyj had served as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since February 2024. The 60-year-old career military officer, originally from Russia, distinguished himself particularly during the defense of Kyiv and the successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region in 2022.

Fedorov had headed the Ministry of Defense since January. Prior to that, he had led the Ministry of Digital Transformation, which was established in 2019.