Ukraine's commander-in-chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi has been fired after days of protests over the removal of the popular defence minister.
The country's Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said a week ago that he had been removed from the post, amid disagreements with Syrskyi. This sparked days of street protests, magnifying a split in the military over its strategy against Russia.
The following day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the protests and said he was confident Fedorov would "remain on my team".
Zelensky offers Fedorov new role
On Tuesday, July 21, Zelensky offered Fedorov a "prominent position in government that would allow him to unify the technical component of our state and ensure its development." It was unclear whether Fedorov has accepted the offer.
Thirty-five-year-old Fedorov is known for his approaches to technology and recruitment. His six-month tenure as defence minister coincided with Ukraine's military success and his removal from office caused major public backlash against the military chief.
Syrskyi apologises, replaced by Drapatyi
On Monday, Zelensky met with several top generals and his chief of staff issued statements that "the position of society has been heard."
Syrskyi wrote an opinion piece for local military media on Monday in which he apologised if he had offended Fedorov, claimed responsibility for establishing a drone unit as a separate military branch and rejected suggestions that he did not support the widespread use of drones, CNN reports.
Syrskyi will be replaced by Mykhailo Drapatyi, the commander of Ukraine's Joint Forces. Drapatyi is well known for a viral 2014 video in which he drove an armoured infantry fighting vehicle through a separatist barricade in Mariupol.
Fedorov congratulated Drapatyi on his appointment in a post on Telegram. He said, "This is a new wind and a new hope in the struggle of free people for freedom and justice." He also called Syrskyi and thanked him for his efforts defending Ukraine.
