Zelenskyy ousts Ukraine army chief after protests - The Latest

Summary

Today in Focus: Zelenskyy Ousts Ukraine Army Chief After Protests – The Latest

Date: July 22, 2026
Host: Lucy Hoff (The Guardian)
Guest: Luke Harding, Senior International Correspondent

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dramatic removal of Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky, after days of public protest. The discussion unpacks the background to the personnel shakeup, the political and military stakes, and how recent events reflect shifting dynamics within Ukrainian society, especially the role of young reformers and the country’s adaptation to modern warfare.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Immediate Aftermath: Public Response and Zelenskyy’s Move

• [00:41] Luke Harding underscores the swift response:
  “Within hours of the decision, there were people gathering outside Zelenskyy's presidential office shouting Syrsky out... Zelenskyy, after five days of protests, has essentially bowed to their demands.”
• Zelenskyy’s decision follows days of vocal demonstrations, highlighting the significant sway of public opinion even in wartime.

2. Who is Oleksandr Syrsky—and Why Was He Ousted?

• [02:13] Luke Harding offers context on Syrsky’s legacy:
  • “Syrsky is a controversial figure for a number of reasons. I think primarily because he's seen as very much an old school general. He's Soviet trained, 60 years old… On the one hand, he's played a huge role in this war.”
  • Syrsky organized the defense of Kyiv in 2022 and led a surprise cross-border counteroffensive in 2024.
• Criticisms of Syrsky:
  • Described as “inflexible, centralizing, a micromanager” and accused of employing “Russian style meat assaults,” leading to heavy Ukrainian casualties.

3. The Firing of Defense Minister Fedorov and Public Reaction

• [03:41] Protests were also sparked by the unexpected dismissal of defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, seen as a talented, modern, and digital-first leader.
• [03:41] Luke Harding:
  “What was really interesting was the sense that these people... it was the kind of young post Soviet generation... actually it wasn’t the government, it wasn't Zelenskyy and his team, it was the people who ultimately held all the cards.”
• Demonstrators, mostly youth, felt empowered to demand change—signaling a vibrant civil society and accountability in the midst of conflict.

4. Potential Return of Fedorov and Further Reshuffling

• [05:08] Lucy Hoff: Questions if Fedorov’s reintroduction is a move to placate public anger.
• [05:08] Luke Harding:
  “Zelenskyy's offered him a role, we think deputy prime minister in charge of technical innovation. But so far Fedorov appears to be resisting... Zelenskyy is signaling a really massive shakeup of the army leadership.”
• The new acting defense minister is unnamed, but Fedorov’s future position remains uncertain.
• Public reaction to Mykhailo Drapaty, Syrsky’s successor, is overwhelmingly positive due to his anti-Russian stance and heroic past action in Mariupol (2014).

5. Shifting Power Dynamics: Zelenskyy Under Pressure

• [06:53] Luke Harding:
  • “His [Zelenskyy's] international profile is still very high... But the critique of Zelenskyy is that he can be centralizing... He makes impulsive and chaotic personnel decisions, such as the firing of Fedorov.”
  • Despite criticisms, most Ukrainians remain supportive, balancing patriotism with the expectation of accountability.
• Demonstrators were described as both patriotic and determined to “keep him honest and on the right track.”

6. Ukraine’s Modern Warfare and Recent Military Successes

• [08:23] Emphasis on the role of technology, drones, and AI in the battlefield—a point of generational tension in military leadership.
• [09:07] Luke Harding:
  • Syrsky, following his dismissal, stated: “Ukraine is on the offensive... Ukraine has won back more than 700km of territory from Russia this year.”
  • Ukraine’s campaign has targeted Russian oil refineries, warehouses, ports, and destroyed nearly 200 oil tankers/ships in the Black Sea region.
  • The war has evolved into a “drone war,” in which Harding asserts, “you get the feeling that Ukraine has the upper hand.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On public power:
  • [03:41] Luke Harding: “...the young post Soviet generation understood profoundly that they were the power... it was the people who ultimately held all the cards.”
• On Drapaty’s heroism:
  • [05:44] Luke Harding: “He drove an armored vehicle through a barricade by pro Russian protesters… with the Ukrainian flag flying proudly from the top of the vehicle… A symbolic act of defiance against Russia.”
• On Zelenskyy’s paradox:
  • [07:16] Luke Harding: “The Zelenskyy, the statesman, Winston Churchill with an iPhone, as he’s been dubbed, is very much still the case. The problem is here in Ukraine, the view is slightly different.”
• On Ukrainian battlefield innovation:
  • [09:45] Luke Harding: “Ukraine has really been pulverizing Russia... in this drone war, you get the feeling that Ukraine has the upper hand.”

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Important Timestamps

• [00:41] – Harding on immediate protest response to Syrsky and Fedorov's dismissals
• [01:34] – Discussion of why Syrsky was fired and what it signals
• [02:13] – Harding’s profile of Syrsky: achievements and criticisms
• [03:41] – On-the-ground reporting from protests, insight into civil society’s role
• [05:08] – Speculation on Fedorov’s future and Drapaty’s appointment
• [06:53] – Analysis of Zelenskyy’s domestic vs. international standing
• [08:23] – Broader military implications: young innovators, impact of EU support
• [09:07] – Evaluation of battlefield successes and the rise of drone warfare

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Summary Takeaway

This episode captures a pivotal week in Ukraine’s ongoing conflict, marked by generational and ideological shifts at the highest levels of the military. The mass mobilization of young protesters proved instrumental in the ousting of an old guard military chief, underscoring the democratic pressures shaping Zelenskyy’s leadership. The appointment of reform-minded figures and recognition of the “drone war” highlight how Ukraine’s future—and potentially its survival—rests not only on its Army but on the will and innovation of its people.

Transcript

[Lucy Hoff]

This is the Guardian.

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[Luke Harding]

Really? Within hours of the decision, there were people gathering outside Zelenskyy's presidential office shouting Syrsky out. The critique of Zelenskyy is that he can be centralizing. He makes impulsive and chaotic personnel decisions. What I think is remarkable is that, is that Zelenskyy, after five days of protests, has essentially bowed to their demands

[Lucy Hoff]

and he's got rid of Syrskiy from the Guardians today. In focus, this is the latest. With me, Lucy Hoff. Yesterday, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky fired his commander in chief, Army Oleksandr Cersky in what seems to be the biggest military shakeup in years of this conflict in Ukraine. Luke Harding, you're our senior international correspondent. What's going on? Why has Zelensky made this decision?

[Luke Harding]

I think this decision to fire the commander in chief, Colonel General Alexander Syrsky, is really a victory for reformists, for modernizers, for society, civil society in Ukraine, which had demanded that Syrsky was removed. And I think it's a really interesting step. I mean, it shows above all that Ukraine is a democracy where there is a president in the shape of Zelenskyy who makes mistakes, but who also is acutely aware of popular opinion in the middle of a war and tries to fix them.

[Lucy Hoff]

And so who is Syrsky and why was he such a controversial figure?

[Luke Harding]

I mean, Syrsky is a controversial figure for a number of reasons. I think primarily because he's seen as very much an old school general. He's Soviet trained, 60 years old. On the one hand, he's played a huge role in this war. He was the person who organized the defence of Kyiv in the spring of 2022, when Russian tanks were rolling imperiously towards the capital from Belarus and the Ukrainian armed forces kind of held them off and drove them back. And he's also the person who launched a surprise counteroffensive into Russia, into the western Kursk region of Russia in the summer of 2024, where Ukrainian soldiers were actually steaming on fighting vehicles through Russian villages. It was another astonishing moment. So he is someone with a record. But the problem, I think is that he's regarded by many people as inflexible, centralizing a micromanager. And also the gravest accusation is that he has used kind of Russian style meat assaults, as they're known, where he's thrown Ukrainian troops into battle and the losses have been very high.

[Lucy Hoff]

Okay, so Cersky has now gone. But this follows a week of protests after the dismissal of the former former defense minister. You were at some of those protests. What were people telling you about their concerns about that decision?

[Luke Harding]

Yeah, I mean, that's right, Lucy. Last week Zelenskyy unexpectedly fired Mykhailo Fedorov, 35 year old, young, digitally savvy, popular defense minister, and sided with Syrsky that the two had fallen out catastrophically over how to prosecute the war and the role of drones and so on. And really within hours of the decision, there were people gathering outside Zelenskyy's presidential office, waving cardboard banners and shouting, syrsky out, Syrsky out. And I went to those protests, I reported from the square and the mood was electric. And what was really interesting was the sense that these people, mostly young people, some older, but essentially it was the kind of young post Soviet generation understood profoundly that they were the power, that actually it wasn't the government, it wasn't Zelenskyy and his team, it was the people on the ultimately held all the cards. And what I think is remarkable is that Zelenskyy, after five days of protests, not just in Kyiv, but across the capital, has essentially bowed to their demands and he's got rid of Syrsky.

[Lucy Hoff]

So how do these two things interlink? Because Fedorov is now reportedly, according to Zelenskyy, being brought back into the government in a senior position. So is that trying to placate some of that public anger? And do we know what he'll be doing in terms of the war?

[Luke Harding]

That's the big mystery, is what happens to Fedorov now because his old job, defence minister, has been taken by someone else. Zelenskyy's appointed a new acting defense minister. Now the protesters want Fedorov back. Zelenskyy said he's offered him a role, we think deputy prime minister in charge of technical innovation. But so far Fedorov appears to be resisting. So I think it would be wrong to characterize this as a conflict between Fedorov and Zelenskyy. Fedorov is very much a Zelenskyy loyalist and clearly Zelenskyy is keen to playing a senior role. But negotiations are continuing and meanwhile Zelenskyy is signaling a really massive shakeup of the army leadership. There's a new chief of the General Staff. And the other thing to say is that the reaction from ordinary Ukrainians has been overwhelmingly positive, not least because the man who succeeds Syrsky, someone called Mykhailo Drapaty, is very well liked, both within the army and by the general public. And there's one incident which really made him a kind of star here, which is back in 2014, Lucy, you remember Russia staged this covert takeover of the eastern Donbas region and tried to grab the city of Mariupol. And what Drupaty did was drive an armored vehicle, literally drive an armored vehicle through a barricade by pro Russian protesters spinning tires across the street with the Ukrainian flag flying and flying proudly from the top of the vehicle. And the whole vehicle rocked. It nearly flipped. And this is sort of symbolic. This is a kind of symbolic act of defiance against Russia. Drupatty really hates Russia. And it's a very interesting moment.

[Lucy Hoff]

It's a very interesting moment. So it sounds like, as you say, this huge military shakeup. So what does that tell us about Zelensky's position at home, domestically? I mean, we've seen him a lot on the global stage recently. He was recently at a NATO summit in Ankara, in Turkey. But does that tell us that he's facing some heat from Ukrainians?

[Luke Harding]

The picture regarding Zelenskyy is complicated. I mean, his international profile is still very high. I mean, I watched him last week when Keir Starmer, remember him, British Prime Minister, made a kind of valedictory trip out to Kiev, and they gave a press conference in the presidential pal, sat in the shade having a cup of tea, talking one on one. I mean, the Zelenskyy, the statesman, Winston Churchill with an iPhone, as he's been dubbed, that is very much still the case. The problem is here in Ukraine, the view is slightly different. And the critique of Zelenskyy is that he can be centralizing some of the people around him, give bad advice. He makes impulsive and chaotic personnel decisions, such as the firing of Fedorov and. But all of that is tempered by the fact that he is present in a time of war. And I think most Ukrainians support him. I mean, the kids on the square chanting Syrsky out, would then sing the Ukrainian national anthem and then chant Syrskiy out again. So they are patriots. They want Zelenskyy to succeed, but at the same time, they want to keep him honest and on the right track.

[Lucy Hoff]

So it sounds like Zelenskyy has been under pressure, particularly from young Ukrainians, about keeping modernizers like Fedorov in place who understand this new era of warfare involving drones and AI and that he is bowing somewhat to that pressure. Ukraine has also recently benefited from a huge 90 billion euro loan from the European Union that has proved, you know, helpful to Ukraine in giving it some success on the battlefield. Luke, you are literally about to travel to the front line in Ukraine in the next few minutes. What are you expecting to see there? And how would you assess Ukraine's recent successes or otherwise on the battlefield?

[Luke Harding]

I mean, it was interesting. I mean, Syrsky, ex commander in Chief, posted a kind of message this morning basically defending his record and saying very clearly, among other things, that Ukraine is on the offensive. Ukraine is on the offensive. He says Ukraine has won back more than 700km of territory from Russia this year. Now, we can debate that the Russians are still going forward in these major cities in the east at huge costs, but there's definitely something here has changed. The mood is brighter. It's more up to optimistic. And that's because over the last few months, Ukraine has really been pulverizing Russia with targets on oil refineries, military warehouses, ports, roads. It's destroyed nearly 200 oil tankers and ships in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea in a very clinical and systematic way. And in this drone war, because the war now is a drone war, you get the feeling that Ukraine has the upper hand.

[Lucy Hoff]

Well, that sounds fascinating. And Luke, good luck on the front lines. Stay safe. And thank you as ever for your reporting.

[Luke Harding]

Thank you.

[Lucy Hoff]

That's it for today. My huge thanks again to Luke Harding, our senior international correspondent. You can keep up with his reporting from the frontline in Ukraine [e-mail] Thanks for listening to this episode of the latest Today in Focus will be back in your feeds as usual tomorrow morning. The latest will be back tomorrow night. This episode was presented by me, Lucy Hoff. It was produced by Angus Neil and Belinda Gurung. The senior producer was Ryan Ramgobin. The executive producer was Zoe Hitch. This is the Guardian.

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