Zelenskyy replaces Ukraine military chief after protests

Replaced military chief Syrskii clashed with former Defence Minister Fedorov, whose removal last week led to protests.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired Oleksandr Syrskii as the country’s commander-in-chief, appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi to lead the military. The move comes after six days of protests in the capital, Kyiv, sparked by the removal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had previously clashed with Syrskii.Zelenskyy said Tuesday’s decision to appoint Drapatyi was made to “reset” the ongoing defence against Russia’s invading troops.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US judge blocks Trump bid to strip work permits from immigrantslist 2 of 3Steep rise in civilian casualties in Russia-Ukraine-war" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="1200" data-entity-type="event">Russia-Ukraine war, UN sayslist 3 of 3Can AI systems make moral decisions in war?end of list“I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to every one of our warriors for Ukraine’s strong front-line positions,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on social media. “I am grateful to Mykhailo Drapatyi for holding that same view.”“Our shared wish is one – victory over the enemy and conditions at the front and in pressure on Russia that would force Russia toward peace,” he added. He emphasised the need to address friction within the military leadership and resolve persistent issues concerning mobilisation and front-line management.Fedorov, who was seen by many as pivotal to the war effort, was removed from his post last week, leading to widespread anger across Ukraine. Before his dismissal, the former defence minister had publicly criticised Syrskii, saying the general was blocking his reform efforts and needed to be replaced if Ukraine were to defeat Russia’s invasion.Fedorov has been attempting to advance drone innovation and more reliance on technology, but had accused Syrskii – seen as more of a traditionalist – of sabotaging his work.Zelenskyy met with Fedorov on Tuesday and offered him what he called “a respected position in the government that would unify the country’s technology sector”. It was not clear if Fedorov accepted the offer, according to the Associated Press news agency.