A Ukrainian Armed Forces Officer Described The Challenge The New Commander-in-chief, Drapaty, Will Face
- 23.07.2026, 17:54
We need to stop fantasizing about robots.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapaty as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Oleksandr Syrskyi has been relieved of his duties.
A major in the reserves of the Ukrainian National Guard and military expert Oleksiy Getman noted in a comment to the website Charter97.org noted that the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine enjoys exceptional authority among military personnel:
— Drapati has been well-known since at least 2014. Even as a major, he took part in defending our country against Russian aggression. Drapaty enjoys authority among military personnel, especially among those who began as volunteers in 2014–2015. It’s hard to say how those who were mobilized in the last couple of years feel about him. Those with combat experience know his capabilities and his approach, which is why he’s popular.
In any case, this is positive for the Armed Forces of Ukraine because it boosts combat morale and the morale of the troops when a commander commands authority and respect among his subordinates.
I believe that fundamentally nothing will change in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, because one person alone cannot win a war or bring about any radical changes in the armed forces.
If we start making any drastic changes now—cutting everything off at the root and rebuilding from scratch—we’ll simply lose the war. You can’t do that during a war. Gradual improvements can be made, but the process must be gradual.
Moreover, the first Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny praised Drapaty and wished him success. The second Commander-in-Chief, Syrsky, said the same thing: he will carefully hand over all matters to him, and there will be no problems. Most likely, Syrsky will remain in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. No decision has yet been made regarding his specific position, but his experience and professionalism are extremely important right now, so there is no generational conflict or anything of the sort here. The military and political leadership simply wants to try to improve the state of our Armed Forces; to that end, a younger, more energetic commander who commands respect has been appointed. Once again, there will be no drastic changes.
Alexey Getman also described the challenge the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will face:
— I want to emphasize that this year we have liberated more than 700 square kilometers. That’s more than we lost. This means the army is on the offensive. Yes, it’s a local offensive, not a counteroffensive, but it’s happening, and Syrsky has, by and large, handed over to Drapaty an army that is on the offensive, not on the defensive.
The front line has stabilized; we have a local tactical advantage, and the initiative is on our side. How much this will change depends on many factors: the amount of weaponry, the number of people who need to be mobilized. Because despite all the drones, despite all our fantasies that wars can be fought exclusively by robots, to win we need to rely on infantry and heavy equipment.
A good example is the U.S. war in Iran, where there was total air superiority, but victory was not achieved by and large because there was no ground operation. Let me emphasize: air superiority alone does not guarantee victory in war. It is an advantage; it is a success; but it is not victory. Therefore, conducting ground operations exclusively with robotic equipment is possible only as long as we have 18 corps, 13 of which are infantry corps. They are the ones who must resolve issues on the battlefield, and for that, we need reserves.