Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked the head of the armed forces and named his successor, after a week of high pressure from his citizens including mass protests nationwide.
Zelensky bowed to the pressure and fired Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi after mass demonstrations across Ukraine demanded his removal and the reinstatement of former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was fired last week.
Protesters insisted that Syrskyi embodied the army’s old, Soviet-style command culture, while Federov was seen as a driver of military modernisation.
The Ukrainian leader has since vowed that “deep strikes” on Russia will continue under his replacement, Mykhailo Drapatyi.
Fedorov has subsequently been offered a “respected position” in government to unify the country’s technnology sector, Zelensky said. It was not clear whether the former defence minister accepted, or if this would bring the unrest to an end.
Earlier, Moscow launched an attack on a Ukraine-bound gas tanker near Romania’s coast, as the Kremlin vowed to step up its attacks on ships supplying Kyiv’s military.
Meanwhile, Romanian president Nicusor Dan said the Liberian-flagged vessel sailing from Egypt to Ukraine was hit in an attack likely linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Military reshuffle in Ukraine celebrated in Russia
Russian war bloggers responded to Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal with glee, noting his role in masterminding long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused a fuel crisis and midrange attacks that disrupted military logistics.
President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the popular young upstart minister Fedorov last week, sparking protests across the country.
Bowing to the public pressure, Zelensky yesterday fired Ukraine’s commander-in-chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi and offered Fedorov a position in government that he said would unify the country’s technology sector.
It wasn’t clear if the offer was accepted and whether the latest moves would satisfy protesters.
Syrskyi, some noted with grudging respect, has built a string of defences that have stalled Russian advances.
Many Moscow commentators voiced hope that the controversy would fuel political infighting in Ukraine and weaken its military.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 07:32
Zelensky names new military commander: Everything we know so far
Volodymyr Zelensky has named Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi to lead Ukraine’s war efforts as commander-in-chief and fired General Oleksandr Syrskyi following days of protests in Kyiv and other cities demanding his removal.
Drapatyi forged his reputation as a daring and determined fighter in the early days of the country’s battle against Russia, then spent a decade in combat assignments while steadily rising through the ranks.
Aged 43, he represents a new generation of Ukrainian generals forged in the crucible of the country’s fight against Russia.
He has spent nearly his entire career in combat postings, including leading Ukraine’s Joint Forces, which direct day-to-day combat operations across branches of the army.
He is known as intensely disciplined and highly effective in combat, and has previously been sent in to stabilise the most critical sectors of the front.
He has rarely appeared in public but has nonetheless gained respect and popularity within the military and beyond for his past victories.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 07:04
Ukraine hit 13 Russian vessels in past 48 hours, drone force commander says
Ukrainian drones struck 13 Russian vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov in the past 48 hours, the commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi said this morning.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 06:55
Russia attacks Ukrainian ports and says two vessels hit
The Russian defence ministry said this morning its forces attacked Ukrainian ports and military infrastructure in the Odesa region.
The ministry said two naval vessels had been hit as a result of the strikes, as well as port infrastructure facilities used for unloading and storing military cargo and fuel and lubricant storage tanks in the port of Odesa.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 06:44
Ousted Ukraine military chief says his troops captured 700 sq km from Russian forces
Ukraine has recaptured 700sq km (270.3 square miles) of its territory this year, outgoing commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said this morning.
“I am handing over to my successor an army that is not only holding the defence but is also on the offensive,” Syrskyi said in a statement on Telegram, confirming he was leaving the top military job.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that a young major general, Mykhailo Drapatyi, would replace Syrskyi after days of street protests.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 06:29
Watch: Two killed in Zaporizhzhia and nine injured in latest Russian attack on residential building
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 06:20
EU envoys meet to negotiate 21st Russia sanctions package
Top EU officials are set to meet today in the hopes of reaching a compromise with Greece and passing a 21st package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, EU diplomats said.
The package lists about 215 individuals and entities including 94 financial institutions. Close to 90 of these are banks, taking the total number of sanctioned banks to over 100, or more than half of Russia’s 213 internationally connected lenders.
A European state intelligence service report, seen by Reuters, warned in June that Russia risked an “explosive” banking crisis and a new sanctions package targeting banks could trigger an economic shock.
Russian authorities have dismissed warnings of a looming crisis.
EU diplomatic sources said the aim of the listings was to discourage third countries from dealing with these Russian lenders, given any EU ties are now minimal or non-existent.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 06:04
Russia’s Wildberries says warehouses attacked again and several injured
Another attack on warehouses of Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries has injured several people, said Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of the company, this morning.
Kim said warehouses in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk had been attacked.
A previous strike by Ukrainian drones on Saturday killed eight workers, sparked fires and disrupted operations at Wildberries.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 05:45
New UK defence secretary calls Russia’s military exercise off the UK coast ‘irresponsible’
Britain’s new defence secretary Wes Streeting said it was “irresponsible” for Russia to have conducted a live-fire weapons exercise off the English coast.
“We should see yesterday’s events as performative and irresponsible,” Streeting told reporters when asked about the incident.
“It’s not the first time that Russia has behaved like this, and frankly, it’s the tip of the iceberg of the daily threats that this country faces and our allies face.”
Earlier, a government minster confirmed that a Russian naval vessel had conducted a “brief live-fire weapons exercise” in international waters approximately 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth in southwest England.
The defence secretary said standard maritime safety procedures were followed during the drill.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 05:23
Kremlin says Russian online retailer Wildberries suffered losses in warehouse attacks
Online retailer Wildberries, Russia’s answer to Amazon, and the merchants who trade through it are grappling with losses in the wake of Ukrainian attacks on warehouses operated by the retailer, the Kremlin said yesterday.
Drones targeted two large logistics hubs in the cities of Kotovsk and Elektrostal on Saturday. The strikes killed eight workers, sparked fires and disrupted operations at Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, which can handle over 20 million orders per day.
Asked about the attacks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists: “The situation is indeed difficult because of the losses suffered both by the company itself and by representatives of small and medium-sized businesses.”
He denied accusations from Ukraine that Wildberries handles military supplies.
Arpan Rai22 July 2026 05:17
About the Author
