Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, bowing to six days of nationwide street protests that had demanded his removal. In a late-night video address on Tuesday, Zelenskyy announced that Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, a battle-hardened and widely respected commander, would replace Syrskyi at the head of the military.

The dismissal follows the earlier sacking of popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, which itself triggered the largest wave of wartime public demonstrations Ukraine has seen since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Fedorov, 35, had been appointed defence minister in January and was widely praised for pushing data-driven reforms, modernising drone warfare, and fighting corruption — efforts that reportedly brought him into sharp conflict with the more traditionally minded Syrskyi, 60. Protesters had given Friday as a deadline for Fedorov's reinstatement, threatening indefinite demonstrations if their demands went unmet. Zelenskyy said he met Fedorov on Tuesday and offered him a