Personnel shifts and command restructuring
Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi completed 100 days as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in late October. His appointment in July followed mass protests in Kyiv that demanded President Volodymyr Zelensky dismiss the unpopular Oleksandr Syrskyi and reinstate former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Zelensky replaced Syrskyi with Drapatyi instead of meeting the demand to return Fedorov. Drapatyi, 43, began his military career as a tank lieutenant at age 21 and led the Joint Forces in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. He inherited an understrength military with little strategic reserve. He also took over a system where holes in the front line were often plugged with units from the Assault Forces. These units, specifically the 425th and 225th assault regiments, lost far more soldiers per month than the average Ukrainian brigade. Because these regiments faced reputations for abuse and misuse of soldiers’ lives, Drapatyi paused replenishments to these units to conduct an audit of personnel use. The National Guard’s 1st Azov Corps now commands the 425th Assault Regiment, better known as Skelia, to help defend the area around Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast, while the 225th Assault Regiment today fights under the Air Assault Forces’ 7th Corps.
Drapatyi replaced Syrskyi’s preference for personal loyalty with a focus on battlefield effectiveness. His new leadership team includes deputy commander-in-chief Serhii Sobko, Ground Forces commander Sviatoslav Zaiets, and Marine leader Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi. In a manifesto on his command style published in September, Drapatyi said he will not command every individual battle or operation. He stated he will exercise command through intent, delegate authority where appropriate, demand accountability at every level, and expect every commander to show initiative. He previously said that in an army where no one is responsible for a defeat, the military is dying from within.
Lt. Col. Bohdan Krotevych said Drapatyi builds a structure combining centralized and decentralized management. Krotevych previously described a "culture of lying" that took root in the Ukrainian military. Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, noted that Drapatyi reduces "garrison-style inspections" by giving commanders autonomy on how to maintain defenses or launch counterattacks. Previously, corps commanders lacked the authority to permit units to fall back from positions of questionable value. Under Drapatyi, commanders received a communique stating they would face no dismissal if they deemed an order impossible, inappropriate, or too costly. This change addresses a culture where officers often faced dismissal after only two weeks of service.
Oleg Romanov, commander of the 21st Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment Kraken, said Drapatyi stays involved and makes himself approachable to those with questions. Romanov noted that Drapatyi visited the 3rd Army Corps regularly while he commanded the Ground Forces from November 2024 to June 2025. He added that Drapatyi remains humane and understands the importance of preserving the troops.
Frontline friction and strategic risks
The impact of these changes varies across the front line. A senior officer in a Kharkiv Oblast corps said not much has changed because no new grouping of forces exists in that region. In Donetsk Oblast, Drapatyi reorganized the defense of the fortress belt by assigning the 3rd Army Corps and 1st Azov Corps to anchor the northern and southern sectors. This belt includes the heavily fortified cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka. Russia’s summer offensive push in Donetsk Oblast showed results as forces pushed deep into Kostiantynivka, making cities in the fortress belt unlivable. Drapatyi faces a renewed Russian offensive in these areas alongside potential supply disruptions, including malfunctions of Starlink and Starshield satellite internet terminals. He must also plan for continued disruptions in supplies of air defense interceptors because the current U.S. administration remains unreliable.
Drapatyi faces the challenge of changing military training, as many of Ukraine’s best formations bypass regional training centers to run their own courses. He must also manage the delicate relationship with Zelensky and the President’s Office. If Drapatyi continues to grow in popularity, he risks being perceived as a political rival to Zelensky, much like the situation with Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who currently serves as the ambassador to London.
