Journalists Shared The Most Interesting Facts About The New Commander-in-chief Of The Armed Forces Of Ukraine, Drapato

• 17.08.2026, 8:42

A Ukrainian general had dreamed of becoming a soldier since childhood.

Almost a month ago, Mikhail Drapaty became the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Amid heightened attention on the new commander-in-chief, the online publication “Gordon” publishes the most interesting facts about his personal life.

Raised by his grandparents

Drapaty was born on November 21, 1982, in the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast. According to Drapaty, his mother worked as a history teacher.

“But it so happened that my father was laid off from his job—he worked at a military academy—and since the family needed to be fed, my parents were offered the chance to go work as teachers in Russia. They were there from 1996 to 2014. The war began, and in May 2014 they returned,” he noted.

Drapaty explained that while his parents were working abroad, he grew up with his maternal grandparents.

“My sister lived with our father’s parents, and I lived with my mother’s parents. “The family was a bit scattered,” he said. “But I received, I believe, an excellent upbringing. I still managed to absorb the best human qualities from my grandparents and parents, even from a distance.”

He Dreamed of Becoming a Military Officer

According to Drapato, in high school he felt a desire for leadership and self-improvement.

“I wanted to be first, to be the best. I graduated from high school with a gold medal, and from the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Forces with honors as well—with honors in operational-tactical studies and in operational-strategic studies too,” he said.

Drapaty makes no secret of it: he’s not used to coming in second.

“When I was already serving in the 58th Brigade, I realized what duty and responsibility mean for an officer—a brigade commander—and what it’s like to have a brigade under your command. When that system functions at 100 percent, when you see your own contribution and that of the team—that’s the result of carrying out combat missions, restoring combat readiness, and everything else,” he added. “It’s important for me to deliver the best results. That’s just how life turns out for me; that’s my nature.”

Drapaty’s Wife and Children

Mykhailo and Yulia Drapaty have been together for a long time. Yulia Drapataya works as a teacher at the Serhiy Tomashchuk School of Arts in Bila Tserkva and performs in a bandura ensemble.

“She knew who I was. After graduation, I was supposed to become the head of the training department for the ‘North’ Operational Command. I served there honestly for five days. On the sixth day, I received an order from the minister, packed my things, and headed to Chasov Yar in the Donbas. “And what about my wife? She understands: this is my life, this is our shared destiny,” Drapatiy noted. “I’m grateful to her for her patience; she’s a trooper, a true officer’s wife. She has nerves of steel.”

Drapaty and his wife are raising two children—their son Ivan and daughter Anna. The commander-in-chief’s son, who is now 16, dreams of becoming a doctor.

“He told me, ‘Dad, I want to become an officer, but you won’t let me.’ In 2014, he was four years old. When we met, he hugged me so tightly, squeezed my neck so hard, and cried for so long,” Drapaty recalled. “A child senses everything, no matter how old he is.”

Drapaty noted that he would not “oppose any initiative” of his son’s.

“I won’t force anything on him. But he’s already said he wants to be a surgeon. “I’m happy that my son said that,” the commander-in-chief added. “This isn’t the first time—and it’s been more than a year—that he’s said he wants to be a surgeon. My wife and I are very supportive of this. Perhaps these are still just childhood dreams, but I myself wanted to study at the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Forces starting in seventh or eighth grade—and I did just that.”

The Birth of His Daughter

Drapaty’s daughter was born in November 2017—just like him. At the time, Drapaty was a brigade commander, so he could only watch his daughter grow up over the phone.

“Anya was born on November 27; we were in the middle of a mission in the combat zone near Severodonetsk: Trekhizbenka–Krymske. My wife called me that evening and said, ‘Don’t worry, we’re going to bed. I’m not feeling well.” But she was already on her way to the maternity hospital. She’d dropped our son off at a friend’s house, drove there herself, and called me,” he recalled. “Anya was born at 1:55 a.m.—my car had that license plate number: 0155. My wife called around two o’clock: ‘Mishunya, we’ve had a daughter!’”

According to Drapaty, his wife Yulia really wanted a daughter.

“I wanted a son named Ivan, but she wanted a daughter named Anna—Anya—and God gave her to us.”

Frightening Diagnoses

Drapaty admitted that at first, the child was given “frightening diagnoses.”

“We were terribly worried. We had to have her heart checked. Thank God, our little princess is healthy,” he concluded.

Drapaty’s daughter is now eight years old.