Anxious about the surprising dismissal of Ukraine’s reformist defense minister, The country’s front-line troops say they have found some solace in a new appointment to another key role in the war: that of commander in chief.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed the 43-year-old Brigadier General. General Mykhailo Drapatyi will be named the country’s new top general on Tuesday.

For many in Ukraine, the appointment marks a monumental change. Drapatyi replaces Oleksandr Syrskyi, an older general who joined the army when Ukraine was still a Soviet republic.

Syrskyi, 60, has overseen many of Ukraine’s victories since early 2024, but has been widely accused of resisting change and sticking to a slower, top-down command style that can cost lives in battle.

Ukrainian troops on the front lines welcomed Drapatyi’s new appointment, telling Business Insider that they anticipate the young general will quickly implement much-needed reforms that could turn the tide of the war in their favor.

A Ukrainian unmanned ground vehicle operator told Business Insider that while he feels Syrskyi has “certainly entered Ukrainian history as the general who stopped the Russian offensive at the most difficult moment for the state,” he sincerely hopes “that General Mykhailo Drapatyi will go down in history as the general who won a victory over Russia.”

Drapatyi, who has had a series of high-profile victories and a reputation for stabilizing war zones under Russian pressure, is seen by many as the ideal working partner for Mykhailo Fedorov, who was defense minister until recently. Both are seen as driving radical change in a military structure that has struggled in dysfunctional ways to fully harness innovation and exploit Russia’s weaknesses.

“He knows how to listen and keeps his word, even when it comes to small promises,” said Fizruk, until recently commander of an attack drone company of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade.

The major, identified only by his call sign for security reasons, said his former drone unit fought under Drapatyi when the latter oversaw operations in Vovchansk, a city in Kharkiv. Russia launched a major offensive there in May 2024 and Drapatyi was sent to stabilize the northeastern front.

Fizruk said Drapatyi planned and executed operations “methodically and effectively” but was also personable. He recalled that the brigadier general wore a green Ukrainian Armed Forces T-shirt to fit in with the team.

“I have his phone number,” Fizruk added.

Other Ukrainian troops praised Drapatyi for his track record and openness in technological innovation. Social media has allowed kyiv’s forces to closely tune into public discourse about the war, even while deployed, as civilians and soldiers share news, comments, commentary and scandals daily.

The commander of a UGV unit in the 2nd “Khartia” Corps, which uses the call sign Mathematical, said Drapatyi was “perhaps the best choice” to replace Syrskyi. He described the new commander-in-chief as forward-thinking in the use of ground robots.

Andriy, an enlisted soldier who leads community engagement for the 100th Mechanized Brigade’s VORON combat drone unit, told Business Insider that he expected Drapatyi to employ a “more rational approach to the use of personnel,” while Alex, an officer with the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces, described Drapatyi as a commander willing to see different perspectives but with “real combat experience.” He said troops respect his “insight and social skills,” predicting an increase in morale.

The UGV operator who spoke to Business Insider about his hopes for victory over Russia under Drapatyi said that “if the new leadership can make the system more flexible, technological and capable of quickly deploying effective solutions from the battlefield, this will be the main criterion for success.”

He said that “it is too early to evaluate this appointment through the prism of expectations. The war has long demonstrated that it is not individual personalities that are decisive, but the ability of the military system to adapt quickly to new challenges.”

Today, he said, “key priorities should be to accelerate the introduction of innovations, shorten the path from combat experience to real changes in troops, expand robotic and unmanned systems, and provide commanders in the field greater freedom to make quick decisions.”

“Ukraine has accumulated unique combat experience,” he said. “Our main advantage should be the ability to learn, adapt and scale successful solutions faster than the enemy.”

‘The dream team’

A key factor in Drapatyi’s appointment was the overthrow of Fedorov. The latter had been mired in a rivalry with Syrskyi and other top Ukrainian generals, who Fedorov said opposed his aggressive reforms and campaigns to root out corruption after he was appointed to the position in January.

Syrskyi has publicly denied a rift between him and Fedorov.

When Fedorov was left out of Zelenskyy’s cabinet last week in a government reshuffle, thousands of people took to the streets of kyiv and other major cities to protest. Support for Fedorov took over online discourse about the war and prevailed The demand among protesters was that Syrskyi be fired instead.

Almost immediately, Drapatyi’s name jumped to the top as the choice to replace Syrskyi.

“There is a consensus in the military that he is the best possible candidate for the position,” said Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a former Da Vinci Wolves doctor who called on civilians to protest last week.

One of Drapatyi’s best-known exploits was filmed just after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014. At the head of an armored column, Drapatyi ordered the driver of his infantry fighting vehicle to drive over a barricade in Mariupol and into battle, a sign of decisive aggression at a time when Ukraine’s military was still finding its bearings.

Later, he led a nighttime escape of 260 soldiers surrounded by pro-Russian forces in the Donbass. After the full-scale invasion of Moscow, Drapatyi became known as a “firefighter” general urgently deployed to prevent the intensification of the Russian campaigns.

Aside from his battlefield record, Koziatynskyi said Drapatyi is also seen among troops as a “new wave general who listens to his subordinates.”

“I think Drapatyi and Fedorov would be a dream team that can lead us to victory,” Koziatynskyi said.

Protesters plan to continue calling for Fedorov’s return. Although there are no clear signs yet that the 35-year-old politician will be restored to office, political pressure is mounting on Zelenskyy to reinstate Fedorov, who rejected offers of advisory roles and said he would only return as defense minister.

Mykola Bielieskov, a researcher at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies and the war crowdfunding organization Come Back Alive, said the main question for Drapatyi now is who he would work with: most importantly, the chief of the General Staff and the defense minister.

Several troops told Business Insider that they are still waiting for a team-up between Drapatyi and Fedorov.

“If Fedorov returns, it will be better, because during his tenure we saw a lot of effective changes in the army,” said Andriy of the 100th Mechanized Brigade.

An officer with the 68th Separate Jaeger Brigade, which uses the call sign Fierce, said the pair, as top leaders, would “give strength to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and restore the faith of Ukrainians.”

“Much more difficult than you imagine”

Drapatyi already had experience in strategic command, having served stints as leader of Ukraine’s Land Forces and then its Joint Forces Command.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief during the early years of the war before Syrskyi was appointed, praised Drapatyi in a Telegram post on Thursday but warned of the challenges ahead.

“The new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will have an incredibly difficult job. Much more difficult than he imagines,” Zaluzhnyi wrote.

Drapatyi will inherit a number of key issues for Ukraine. One of the most pressing problems is kyiv’s struggle to recruit new soldiers, while its outnumbered deployed forces are exhausted from years of fighting.

“Regardless of popularity, war management would be a challenge, given the manpower problems, unfinished reforms of the corps and the deficit of qualified personnel at different levels,” Bielieskov said.

Fierce, the 68th Separate Jaeger Brigade officer, said he considered Drapatyi a “strong general with great authority.”

“But we’ll see how it performs in practice,” he said. “It seems to me that there could not have been a better choice, but I repeat: we will have to wait and see.”