Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has carried out a major shake-up of his country's military and defence leadership, dismissing armed forces commander Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi and defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov in mid-July 2026. Syrskyi has been replaced by Mykhailo Drapatyi, a younger general seen as a reformer who favours technology-driven warfare, in a move that reflects a wider generational split within Ukraine's military establishment over how the war against Russia should be fought.

Zelenskyy said the two dismissed officials had "clashed frequently over defence priorities", with Fedorov accusing the military hierarchy of being slow to adopt drone technology and blocking reform efforts. Drapatyi, 43, made his name defending Mariupol in 2014 and later became the youngest commander of Ukraine's land forces before resigning on a point of accountability; he is regarded as more open to input from younger soldiers. The shake-up comes more than four years into the full-scale invasion, which the UN says has killed over 16,000 civilians, and has triggered nationwide protests from Ukrainians demanding Fedorov's reinstatement.