00:00"Serving Ukraine has always been an honor for me, and in a war for independence
00:05"It means absolute responsibility." These words appeared in the first
00:11Statement by Major General Mikhailo Drapati following his appointment as the new commander
00:17Ukraine's chief, according to Euromaidan Press. It is noted that his appointment came
00:23after six days of protests against the resignation of Defense Minister Mikhailo Fedorov and
00:29in support of the dismissal of Oleksandr Sirsky, criticized for his roots leadership style
00:34Soviet. "I thank the President of Ukraine for his trust, and the Minister of Defense for..."
00:41"The support and to the defense forces for this new stage of service," Drapati wrote.
00:47He also expressed his gratitude to the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,
00:52Oleksandr Sirsky, for his constant efforts to strengthen the Ukrainian army.
00:57"I grew up in it. I will work responsibly, with focus, and with respect for people."
01:04"Who defend our state today. Glory to the nation, death to the enemies," he affirmed.
01:12Zelensky announced the appointment on July 21, the most significant restructuring
01:17of the military leadership of Ukraine since the beginning of the large-scale invasion.
01:22Drapati, 43, was the protesters' favorite candidate, and his biography explains
01:29Why? His career began in the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. In May 2014, at the beginning
01:37of the Russian aggression, he commanded the brigade's second battalion during the operation
01:41to free hostages in Mariupol, according to RBC Ukraine. The famous video of the flying BMP comes from
01:49of that battle, in which an infantry fighting vehicle charged at high speed
01:54Drapati broke through a barricade of pro-Russian militiamen and jumped over it. Drapati gave the order to
02:00that assault from inside the vehicle. That summer, his unit was trapped in a
02:06Pocket of fire near the border, in Luhansk Oblast. Under prolonged artillery fire
02:12From Russian territory, Drapati assumed responsibility and withdrew 260 soldiers and more than 30 vehicles.
02:19from the cauldron of Isbarine, traveling 160 kilometers under enemy fire.
02:25Later, he commanded the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade in Avdivka and in the
02:31Bajmut road, and received the King's sword of the United Kingdom as the top graduate of
02:37the National Defense University. In March 2022, he assumed command of the group.
02:43Operation Southern, which halted the Russian advance towards Kriboyz-Roch. In the fall of 2022, he led the
02:49Gerson group during the successful operation to free the right bank of the Oblast
02:55Gerson. In May 2024, he took command of the Kharkov tactical task force when Russia
03:01He launched his new offensive and halted the threat near Bouchansk. Zelensky then highlighted this.
03:07upon appointing him Commander of the Land Forces in November 2024. Under his subsequent command
03:14From the Joint Forces, Ukrainian units, including the Khartia Brigade, recovered large areas
03:20strips of territory around Kupiansk. On one occasion, he resigned to assume responsibility
03:26for fallen soldiers. In June 2025, Drapati submitted his resignation as Commander of the
03:33Ground forces after Russian attacks on Ukrainian training centers that reached
03:38to the defenders. But, after a conversation with the president, he went on to command the Forces
03:44Joint instead.
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