Oleksandr Syrskyi has announced that he is leaving his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and handing command over to his successor. In a farewell address, the general reviewed his service and stressed that he would continue serving Ukraine regardless of his future status.
Syrskyi recalled that he had been involved in the war since 2014 and commanded the defence of Kyiv in February and March 2022. He also listed the liberation of Balakliia, Izium and Kupiansk during the Kharkiv counteroffensive among the key operations of his career.
Syrskyi became Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on February 8, 2024, replacing Valerii Zaluzhnyi. He said one of his first decisions in office was to order an organised withdrawal of Ukrainian units from Avdiivka, explaining that the priority was to save soldiers’ lives.
In his statement, the general also mentioned halting Russia’s offensive in the Kharkiv region, operations in the Sumy sector and the Kursk operation.
According to Syrskyi, the goal of the operation in Russia’s Kursk region was to disrupt preparations for an offensive against Sumy and Kharkiv, draw away Russia’s most capable units and replenish Ukraine’s prisoner-exchange pool.
He also cited the creation of the Unmanned Systems Forces, the development of drone-interceptor units and the transition of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to a corps-based structure among the results of his command.
Syrskyi said that Ukrainian troops under his command had liberated 743 square kilometres of territory in 2026.
“I am handing over to my successor an army that is not only holding the line but is also on the offensive — with the initiative, with a structure and with people who know how to strike the enemy,” the general said.
He expressed hope that the offensive would continue and thanked the soldiers, sergeants and officers with whom he had served.
“My work is war. Positions change, but this principle does not. Whatever my status may be, I will serve Ukraine until Victory,” Syrskyi stressed.
What is known about the change of commander-in-chief
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Oleksandr Syrskyi’s dismissal on July 21. Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, who had previously commanded the Joint Forces, was appointed the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said that he had worked with Drapatyi, Yevhenii Khmara and Pavlo Palisa to determine an updated configuration for the General Staff. The president also said that Ukraine’s long-range operations and programme of strikes against Russian targets should continue.
The personnel change followed a government reshuffle and several days of protests whose participants criticised the dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and demanded changes in the military leadership. Fedorov congratulated Drapatyi on his appointment, calling him “a voice of change.”
