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Ukraine Overhauls Top Military Brass 07/22 06:06
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukraine pushed on with its fight against Russia's
invasion under new military leadership Wednesday, after President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy bowed to public pressure and fired his commander-in-chief.
Ukraine has made significant progress in the war this year, and a rift
between the country's outgoing army chief and its defense minister threatened
to derail its efforts. Both men lost their jobs following Zelenskyy's major
government reshuffle last week.
The top-level changes late Tuesday were intended to draw a line under an
unwelcome spasm of political turmoil that lasted almost a week and prompted
rejoicing in Russia. It was not clear whether Zelenskyy's measures would
achieve that goal.
The new army chief, 43-year-old Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, belongs to a
new generation of Ukrainian generals who have come up through the ranks during
the battle against Russian aggression. He became known for his daring and
courage in 2014, the year that Russia seized and illegally annexed Ukraine's
Crimean Peninsula -- eight years before Moscow's all-out invasion.
Zelenskyy said Drapatyi and other commanders must present an updated defense
strategy, including continued reform of the corps system, faster weapon and
drone deliveries, stronger air defense against Russian strikes, and a clearer
mobilization plan.
Russia says the changes in Kyiv won't alter the front line
There is no sign that the two countries are any closer to a peace
settlement, despite U.S.-led diplomatic efforts.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Moscow is sticking to
its previous demands. They include Kyiv withdrawing its forces from the four
eastern regions that Russia has seized but doesn't fully control, renouncing
any aspirations to NATO membership, and sharply cutting the size of its army,
among other things.
Peskov told reporters that the Ukrainian political and military changes
reflect strains in Kyiv.
"Kyiv's regime is trembling from within. It can be seen with the naked eye,"
Peskov said.
Neither will the top-level alterations change the front line, he told
reporters, claiming that Russian forces are on the offensive.
With the war's roughly 1,250-kilometer (800-mile) front line mostly
off-limits to independent observers, Russia and Ukraine have also engaged in a
propaganda battle.
Fedorov's future is still uncertain
Zelenskyy met separately Tuesday with outgoing defense minister Mykhailo
Fedorov, a 35-year-old tech-savvy entrepreneur credited with swiftly developing
Ukraine's drone technology that has given it a battlefield edge.
Fedorov locked horns with outgoing commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr
Syrskyi, a 60-year-old veteran trained in the Soviet Union before Ukraine's
independence.
Street protests in Kyiv and other cities demanded Fedorov's return, viewing
him as a key military modernizer, and urged Zelenskyy to fire Syrskyi, regarded
as part of the old guard.
Zelenskyy offered Fedorov what he called a respected position in the
government that would unify the country's technology sector. It wasn't clear if
Fedorov accepted the offer -- or whether the latest moves would satisfy
protesters and calm the streets.
Fedorov said after his dismissal last week that he had been offered jobs by
some global defense tech companies.
Fedorov supported Drapatyi's appointment, calling it a "new hope in the
fight of free people for freedom and justice" and "a voice for change that
could not go unheard."
Fedorov had criticized Syrskyi publicly before his dismissal, saying the
general was blocking his reform efforts and needed to be replaced for Ukraine
not to fail in its resistance against Russia.
Outgoing military chief points to recent battlefield achievements
Syrskyi defended his wartime record in a statement Wednesday.
Among other things, he claimed Ukrainian forces had clawed back 743 square
kilometers (287 square miles) of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory this year
and said he was handing his successor an army that was not only defending but
also conducting offensive operations.
It was not possible to independently verify his claim.
Fedorov called Syrskyi to thank him for his military triumphs, including
defending the Kyiv region at the time of Russia's February 2022 full-scale
invasion, the Kharkiv counteroffensive operation later that year and other
battles, calling them "already an important part of Ukraine's history." But he
added that the country must "move even faster and write new chapters,
correcting all previous mistakes."
The political crisis began last Thursday, when Zelenskyy overhauled his
wartime government, replacing his prime minister and firing Fedorov after just
six months in the post.
The reshuffle immediately drew thousands of protesters into the streets of
Kyiv and other cities, framing Fedorov's removal as Zelenskyy siding with an
entrenched military old guard over a reformer.
Zelenskyy said Wednesday that he's also appointing Maj. Gen. Ihor Skybiuk as
chief of the General Staff as part of the overhaul.
Russia and Ukraine keep up their long-range strikes
The political maneuvers took place against a backdrop of continued deadly
strikes by Russia and Ukraine onto each other's soil.
Ukrainian drones overnight struck two more sprawling warehouses of Russia's
major online retailer, Wildberries, in Russia's southern regions of Krasnodar
and Stavropol, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim and Russian officials said
Wednesday.
The strikes came four days after Ukraine's long-range drones hit massive
Wildberries warehouses in the Moscow region and in the Tambov region, killing
eight people and wounding dozens, according to officials.
Zelenskyy said, without naming the facilities, that they were used by Russia
to supply sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation
equipment.
Russian attacks, meanwhile, have also struck several major Ukrainian
logistics hubs and retail facilities over the past week.
Russia attacked Ukraine with four missiles of various types and 216
long-range strike drones overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, according to the
Ukrainian air force.
In the southern Odesa region, a Russian drone killed a woman when it struck
a two-story apartment building, regional military administration head Oleh
Kiper said.
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