Inside the Rise of Mykhailo Drapatyi: Ukraine’s New Military Chief

Maj Gen Mykhailo Drapatyi, aged 43, has been appointed as Ukraine's commander-in-chief, replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi. He is the third person to hold the position since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. His nomination has received support from both civil society and the military.

According to a Ukrainian soldier who spoke to the BBC, "There's no better person for this position nowadays in Ukraine." Drapatyi's reputation is built on years of military experience in post-Soviet Ukraine, his skills as a field commander, and his perceived humane leadership.

Drapatyi graduated from the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Troops in 2004 and began his career as a lieutenant. He gained public attention in May 2014 when footage showed his infantry fighting vehicle breaking through a makeshift barricade during an operation in Mariupol. At that time, pro-Russian separatists had seized parts of eastern Ukraine, and Drapatyi's battalion entered the city to free hostages held in the police department. He later recalled being told about barricades over a metre high and deciding to "take it by storm." The video circulated widely.

Later in 2014, he was commended for leading the withdrawal of encircled Ukrainian units from a border area in the Luhansk region. In 2021, he returned to university for further operational and strategic training and was awarded a sword of honour as the top graduate by British ambassador Melinda Simmons.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Drapatyi served as deputy commander of joint forces. He led operational groups in several frontline areas, successfully pushing back Russian advances towards Kryvyi Rih and liberating settlements in the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions. By 2024, he was head of the Ukrainian army's land forces and leading task forces in intense combat zones in the east.

In 2024, a training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region was hit by a Russian missile, killing 12 soldiers and wounding 60. Drapatyi resigned the same day, citing personal responsibility for the "conspiracy of silence and impunity" that led to the deaths. He wrote, "An army in which commanders bear personal responsibility for the lives of personnel keeps living. An army in which nobody is responsible for a loss dies." President Volodymyr Zelensky did not accept the resignation and instead appointed him commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a move widely praised.

Subsequently, reports emerged of tensions between Drapatyi and Syrskyi. An unnamed officer told Ukrainian media in June 2025, "Drapatyi is a relatively young general. He is gifted. He was always sent to places where the situation was extremely difficult." The officer added that Drapatyi's ambitions likely extend beyond his previous roles.

Now, with Syrskyi replaced, expectations for Drapatyi are high. Mykola Bielieskov, a senior analyst at the Ukrainian NGO Come Back Alive, noted that Drapatyi has a good reputation among soldiers, especially those who joined after 2022. However, Bielieskov cautioned that the commander-in-chief operates under significant constraints, including coordination with the government, the president's office, military suppliers, and Western partners. "He's got a tricky path before him," Bielieskov said.

Ukraine faces a harsh winter of war, with prospects for a ceasefire remaining slim. Mobilising manpower is a priority, and Drapatyi is also expected to address corruption within the military.