By replacing commander-in-chief of armed forces, Ukrainian president has partially yielded to public pressure - expert

RIGA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has partially yielded to public pressure by replacing the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Toms Rostoks, vice rector for research at the Latvian National Defense Academy, told LETA.

As previously reported, the Ukrainian president has dismissed Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky and appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi to replace him.

Explaining these changes, Rostoks stated that the Ukrainian president wanted changes in the government, which meant the collapse of the previous government. The desire for change was linked to Ukraine’s preparations for winter, when energy issues will be critical. In the expert’s view, Zelensky decided that either the defense minister or the commander of the armed forces had to be replaced.

The vice rector for research at the Latvian National Defense Academy assessed that there were several reasons for this, including the Ukrainian president’s public remarks regarding former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s inability to either communicate or cooperate with the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Oleksandr Syrsky. In Rostoks’ view, this creates instability and problems within the defense sector during wartime.

The expert pointed out that, under such circumstances, the role of the commander of the armed forces is more significant, and consequently, the Ukrainian president decided to dismiss the defense minister and offered Fedorov another position related to the defense sector.

Rostoks also noted that Syrsky was not viewed uniformly by the Ukrainian public, and the perception had emerged that he did not value human life highly enough. The former defense minister, on the other hand, positioned himself as someone who can transform Ukraine’s armed forces to meet modern requirements, which could help reduce casualties among Ukrainian soldiers.

A perception had taken hold in Ukrainian society that one of these men represents the 21st century and the other represents the Soviet past, said the vice rector for research at the Latvian National Defense Academy.

He acknowledged that he could understand the public’s desire to choose the person who came with a promise to transform Ukraine’s armed forces, make them more technologically advanced, and potentially reduce military casualties. In the expert’s view, this also sparked public protests.

Rostoks noted that Drapatyi is a competent individual whose career has taken a significant leap forward over the past four years. Drapatyi has participated in combat operations and their planning since 2014; therefore, in the expert’s opinion, his candidacy is not controversial.

Speaking about the former defense minister, the vice rector for research at Latvian National Defense Academy highlighted his character and issues related to corruption and the waste of funds. Under Fedorov’s leadership, an investigation was conducted into the use of funds in Ukraine over the past year. In Rostoks’ view, it is not surprising that the investigation revealed either wasteful spending or situations where it is unclear how the funds were used.

As in many sectors in Ukraine, corruption issues in the defense sector are pressing and particularly painful for the public, especially during wartime, the expert said.

According to Rostoks, it is not surprising that both the leadership of the armed forces and the defense minister are replaced during wartime, which has happened several times in Ukraine over the past year. He added that Fedorov served as defense minister for about six months, which is too short a period to expect results and the implementation of reforms.

The expert emphasized that the same applies to the positions of commander of the armed forces and commander of the joint forces, where changes have also taken place previously. Rostoks noted that this spring and summer, Ukraine is in its best position in the war against Russia since 2023, which leaves no doubt that the changes could negatively impact Ukraine’s ability to respond to Russian attacks.