Drapatiy, an Honorary Citizen of Kherson, Has Been Appointed the New Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Major General Mykhailo Drapaty has been appointed the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The brigadier general is an honorary citizen of Kherson.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in his address, he relieved Oleksandr Syrskyi of his duties as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and appointed Mykhailo Drapaty to replace him.

According to the president, together with Drapaty, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa, and Chief of the General Staff Yevhen Khmara, they have already determined the new structure of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Drapaty has already thanked the president for his trust and promised to work with respect for those who defend the country.

“I thank the President of Ukraine for his trust, the Minister of Defense for his support, and the Armed Forces for this new stage of service. Serving Ukraine has always been an honor for me, and during the war for independence, it means absolute responsibility,” he emphasized.

Prior to his appointment, Drapaty served as Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Ground Forces and commanded the “Khortytsia” operational-strategic group of forces.

After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, he held a number of key command positions: he led the operational group of forces in the south, participated in the defense of Kryvyi Rih, and took part in the liberation of Kherson.

In September 2024, Roman Mrochko, then head of the Kherson City Military Administration, conferred upon Drapaty the title of Honorary Citizen of the Kherson City Territorial Community for his contribution to the liberation of the city, and also awarded him the “For the Defense and Liberation of Kherson” badge.

Mykhailo Drapatyi was born in 1982 in Kamianets-Podilskyi. He graduated from the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Forces and the National Defense University of Ukraine. He began his military service in 2004 as part of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade.

During the war in 2014, he commanded a mechanized battalion of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade and led the breakthrough of Ukrainian armored vehicles through militant barricades during the liberation of Mariupol.

He also directed the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from an encirclement near Izvarine, which made it possible to evacuate approximately 260 servicemen and a significant amount of equipment.

Ірина Глухова