‘My job is war’: Syrskyi comments on his dismissal as commander-in-chief

“For every officer, it is the greatest responsibility to lead the army during a major war. I have seen this war from its first day in 2014, lived at the front, and know the price of every liberated kilometer of Ukrainian land,” he wrote.

Syrskyi recalled the defense of Kyiv in early 2022, as well as the liberation of Balakliya, Izyum, and Kupyansk in Kharkiv Oblast. He noted that he became commander-in-chief in February 2024, when the battle for Avdiivka was underway.

“Our units were standing in a semi-encirclement. One of my first orders in the post was to organize a withdrawal from the city. It was a difficult decision. But I made it because for me there was one priority — preserving people’s lives,” he wrote.

Syrskyi also mentioned the Kursk operation, saying its aim was “to disrupt the enemy’s prepared offensive on Sumy and Kharkiv, draw away its most combat-capable forces and expand the exchange fund.”

He said that under his command this year, 700 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia had been liberated, and that Ukraine’s Armed Forces are now not only defending but operating in an offensive posture.

“I am handing over to my successor an army that is not only holding the line, but is in a state of offense — with initiative, with structure, with people who know how to strike the enemy. And I sincerely hope that this offensive will continue. Everything needed for that is there,” he added.

“I said this before and I repeat it today: My job is war. Positions change, but this principle does not. In whatever status I may be, I will serve Ukraine until Victory,” Syrskyi wrote.

Syrskyi’s dismissal

Talk of replacing Syrskyi, who had led Ukraine’s Armed Forces since early 2024, intensified amid mass protests that followed the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

According to media reports, Zelenskyy explained Fedorov’s dismissal by saying he had a systemic conflict with Syrskyi “that could not be resolved.” During a meeting with the Servant of the People faction, Zelenskyy reportedly said that “ideally both Fedorov and Syrskyi should be dismissed, but he cannot do that right now.”

After leaving office, Fedorov held a public news conference in which he confirmed the conflict with the commander-in-chief. He said he had proposed replacing both Syrskyi and Chief of Staff Andriy Hnatov, but alleged that Syrskyi had “issued an ultimatum” and “figured out how to split the country.”

“But we ran into a situation where all the initiatives we proposed started being blocked, and Syrskyi is not ready to openly speak face-to-face about problems,” Fedorov said. ”He is ready to go to private meetings, scheme, think that someone ordered some media campaign [...]. This led to the fact that he effectively issued an ultimatum [...] Instead of figuring out how to defeat Russia asymmetrically — which is the commander-in-chief’s task — he figured out how to split the country.”

After that statement, calls for Syrskyi’s resignation grew louder at protests against Fedorov’s dismissal. In response, commanders from Ukraine’s Defense Forces began issuing public statements in support of the commander-in-chief and urged people not to “politicize the Armed Forces.”

The Financial Times reported that Zelenskyy gathered military officers to hear their assessments of the battlefield situation and interview candidates to replace Syrskyi. Over several days, the president spoke with corps commanders and other senior officers.

On the evening of July 21, Zelenskyy announced that he had appointed Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.