The Commander of the Joint Forces, 43-year-old Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, has become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi.
This is reported by TSN, as announced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi in his evening video address on July 21, 2026, according to the Prompolitinform portal.
“I have decided that the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapatyi,” said the President of Ukraine.
Zelenskyi stated that he and Mykhailo Drapatyi had outlined the tasks to be implemented in the short and medium term.
“Operations of the Defense Forces of Ukraine are ongoing and must continue steadily. The plan of long-range sanctions of Ukraine, our mid-range program will be executed with absolute precision,” he said.
Furthermore, the head of state emphasized the importance of handing over all military affairs in the most coordinated and institutional manner possible, and continuing the planned steps in combat operations.
Other tasks:
• prepare and submit for approval an updated defense strategy,
• continue the reforms of the corps system,
• fulfill the requests of combat commanders for the supply of weapons, drones, equipment, “which were voiced these days both at the Stavka [Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Headquarters] and in our direct communication with the commanders,”
• secure the sky as much as possible against Russian strikes,
• provide a “real vision of the mobilization process.”
Mykhailo Drapatyi thanked “the president for his trust, the minister of defense for his support, and the Defense Forces for a new stage of service.”
Photo from open sources
Screenshot from Mykhailo Drapatyi’s page
