Zelensky named the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

"I have decided that Mykhailo Drapatyi will become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine", - President Zelensky said in his evening video address on July 21.

"Together with Mykhailo Drapatyi, Yevhen Khmara, and Pavlo Palisa, we have determined how the structure of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should be updated. The fact is that Oleksandr Syrskyi ensured Ukraine's successes in the defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv counteroffensive, and the Kursk operation. We have come a long way, Ukraine's defense continues, and every soldier deserves proper respect. I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrskyi and to each of our warriors for Ukraine's strong positions on the front line. I am grateful to Mykhailo Drapatyi for sharing this very vision. Today, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Andrii Hnatov, and I discussed future formats of service and the proper transfer of responsibilities", - the President noted.

"We all have one goal—to defeat the enemy and create conditions at the front, as well as pressure on russia, that will force russia to agree to peace. Tomorrow we will formalize all the decisions. Ukraine must emerge from this situation stronger, while it becomes more difficult for russia", - the President emphasized.

Mykhailo Drapatyi is a Major General and Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He gained widespread recognition in 2014 when he broke through barricades in an infantry fighting vehicle to reach occupied Mariupol. During the full-scale war, he successfully commanded several operational groupings, including the defense of the Kharkiv oblast.