Syrskyi officially transfers his powers as Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of Ukraine to Drapatyi
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi handed over his duties to the new Commander-in-Chief, Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, during an official ceremony.
Oleksandr Syrskyi announced this on July 24.
“The handover ceremony took place. … During the ceremony, I officially transferred the powers of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi,” the statement reads.
It is noted that Acting Minister of Defense Yevhen Khmara introduced the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, and the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Ihor Skybiuk.
"A new phase lies ahead. I wish the new military leadership strength, resilience, wise decisions, unity with the troops, and victories. May every decision bring Ukraine closer to peace, and may every order save the lives of our soldiers and inflict devastating losses on the enemy,” Syrskyi concluded.
As a reminder, on July 21, Zelenskyy announced that he had relieved Oleksandr Syrskyi of his duties as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi to replace him.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, meanwhile, Khmara, Drapatyi, and Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Pavlo Palisa, together with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, determined the course of action in response to russia’s terror against Ukraine.
Earlier, Drapatyi and Khmara agreed to shift the war onto the aggressor’s territory as much as possible, while Zelenskyy instructed the new Commander-in-Chief to continue and intensify offensive operations and plan new operations behind enemy lines.