Mykhailo Drapatyi appointed Ukraine's new commander-in-chief

Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, has been appointed as Ukraine's new commander-in-chief, becoming the third leader of the armed forces since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. His nomination has garnered significant support from both civil society and the military, with many viewing him as the most suitable candidate for the demanding role.

Drapatyi's reputation is built on years of military service in post-Soviet Ukraine, his proven capabilities as a field general, and his standing among troops as a strong yet humane commander. His military career includes graduating from the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Troops in 2004 and rising through the ranks. He gained wider recognition in 2014 when footage showed his unit's fighting vehicle breaching a barricade during operations to free hostages in Mariupol.

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There's no better person for this position nowadays in Ukraine.

Later that year, he was commended for successfully withdrawing encircled Ukrainian units from a strategic border area in the Luhansk region. Drapatyi furthered his education with operational and strategic training, graduating top of his class in June 2021, receiving a sword of honor from then-British ambassador Melinda Simmons.

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I said, let's take it by storm. This video flew around the world.

Upon Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Drapatyi served as deputy commander of joint forces. He led critical operations, pushing back Russian advances near Kryvyi Rih and liberating settlements in the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions. By 2024, he was leading Ukraine's ground troops in some of the most intense combat zones in the east.

His leadership was tested when a Russian missile strike on a training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed 12 soldiers and wounded 60. Drapatyi resigned the same day, citing personal responsibility for a "conspiracy of silence and impunity." This act of accountability was widely praised and seen as a precursor to his eventual appointment. His subsequent appointment as commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was met with approval, despite growing rumors of tensions with his predecessor, Oleksandr Syrskyi.

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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.