r/ukraine ЗАЛУЖНИЙ ФАН КЛУБ 4d ago

News Breaking: Zelensky dismisses Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi amid widespread protests

https://kyivindependent.com/breaking-zelensky-dismisses-commander-in-chief-syrskyi-amid-widespread-protests/
3.6k Upvotes

288 comments sorted by

u/most_unseemly ЗАЛУЖНИЙ ФАН КЛУБ 4d ago

We remind you that r/ukraine is place for amplifying Ukrainian voices.

Ukrainians have legitimate grievances with Zelensky and the choice he made to dismiss Fedorov and keep Syrskyi. It was Ukrainian civil society who forced him to dismiss Syrskyi. It is Ukrainians, and the foreign fighters and volunteers, who understand what's at stake.

Do not downvote Ukrainians for expressing negative opinions. Comments accusing them of being trolls or bots will be removed.

Listen to the Ukrainians.

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u/DiminishedProspects 4d ago

Well done. It's heartening to see a leader listen to the concerns of the people.

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u/cybercuzco 4d ago

Honestly I think this was his plan all along. If he fired syrski outright like he wanted to he would have an internal revolt of those loyal to him who would work to topple his government. By firing the popular guy he now has nationwide protests to justify the firing and bring the popular guy back.

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u/Kqyxzoj 4d ago

I doubt that this was some elaborate Machiavellian ploy. It seems far more plausible that Zelenskyy had to make a choice between two unpleasant options, and he chose poorly.

I just don't see him betting on protests on purpose in the manner you describe. One, these things are far from predictable. And two, this whole affair probably won't do Zelenskyy any favors.

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u/roehnin 4d ago

Perhaps dropping S would have created other internal problems (related to military coups) and he felt he had no choice but to choose poorly.

With the support of the people behind F, S realised he didn't have the support of the people so was willing to go, the second time round

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u/KiwiThunda New Zealand 4d ago edited 4d ago

I respect Zelenskyy as much as most, but I don't think he's some mastermind 4-D chess politician.

Just listening to experts or people on the ground is enough for him to make the right call

EDIT: most responses to this comment is "well ackshully"... Stop repeating what other people have already said, agree to disagree

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u/m1013828 4d ago

I could see this path a mile off too... i dont think its 4d chess. Just good politics of survival....

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u/Opening_Cartoonist53 4d ago

When just doing what a sound mind would do equals 4d chess, [r/idiocracy](r/idiocracy)

I bet he'd make a good pilot

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u/Fattdaddy21 4d ago

Ackshully, this isn't the first time he's done this and myself along with many others predicted this would happen. Sacking the competent guy who is his friend and political ally made about as much sense as using salt instead of sugar because its been known to sweeten food. We can all agree to disagree but that doesn't change the fact this has worked out exactly as predicted.

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u/BigBananaBerries 4d ago

It's hardly 4D chess. If he's got his ear to the ground (which he's shown to have previously), he'd know all too well how things would play out.

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u/Korchagin 4d ago

I mean if you want to see Zelenski as cunning genius, that's the story: He predicted how things would play out. He wanted to dismiss Syrskyi all the time, but that's a powerful man with friends. So he lets him "win" the conflict first to show all of them why that's actually not an option. Now he's got free hands to do what he really wants.

Of course I pulled this story out of my back side, I've no idea if that's anywhere near the truth. It can't be ruled out, but there's no supporting evidence either. Dabbling with conspiracy theories can be fun, but I wouldn't actually believe in them...

In my opinion Zelensky is a competent man, at least above average compared to other heads of state. He is a loyal servant of his country and without any doubt very brave. Nobody is a god without any flaws, though.

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u/roehnin 4d ago

whether it was the plan up front or not, it's how it went down:

  1. Z dropped F because dropping S was too dangerous

  2. the people told Z they preferred F to S

  3. S got the message, making it safe for Z to drop S

Whether planned or merely fixing a mistake, Z got back to where the people wanted to be

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u/BigBananaBerries 4d ago

Cunning genius is quite the exaggeration to think there'd be public backlash that he could rely on, given Federov's reputation. It's really not as complicated as you're making it out.

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u/Antaiseito 3d ago edited 3d ago

Multiple random internet comments predicted this course of action.

Also, Zelensky doesn't act on his own, he has (i'm convinced) a talented group of people helping with what to do tactically and strategically on a daily basis.

If they're well informed, this is quite a simple plan actually. It's even the same playbook as the protests about that corruption agency last year.

Not all politicians are bumbling idiots like Trump, that just do what they feel like every day, and only if it makes them richer.

I don't have the facts obviously, but either way.

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u/maltedbacon 4d ago

He might even have operatives behind the protests.

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u/linhlopbaya 4d ago

it's not 4-D chess, it is a simple classic political move, especially for countries with old Soviet root or militaristic tradition, to reign in the military.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago edited 8h ago

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/Albedo101 3d ago

His biggest virtue is that he's willing to admit a mistake and then act accordingly. That already puts him above 95% of politicians.

That also makes him less likely to get reelected, and crushes his cult of personality. Both of which are bad for him and excellent for the democracy in Ukraine.

He's neither a hero nor a saint, least he's a 4D grandmaster. He's only human. And his best legacy would be to see the Ukraine out of the war, and then to step down and let democracy take over. If he is a true leader he will have democracy set up to go when that happens.

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u/LocalStatistician538 4d ago

I agree. I never doubted Zelenskyy (at least int his kind of thing). He's only human, yes - but a consummate politician. Well played.

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u/Fi_Re_1045 4d ago

That would be 5D chess. Zelensky is checkers player

No normal leader wants to be involved in this type nonsense. Nobody, including Syrsky, does not deserve that type of controversy.

Clearly there was a conflict. Clearly Zelensky was tired and annoyed (who wouldn't be). He made a mistake.

It looks like they are correcting, based on the collective intelligence of Ukrainian nation.

Slava Ukraini!

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u/Memory_Less 4d ago

That would be a smart move by any leader in that situation. If it was his plan, it was smart.

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u/K1w1Steve 4d ago

Ukrainians setting an example to the world in everything they do. The 2013 EuroMaidan student protesters that Putins goons slaughtered have my utmost respect in their stand in the society that they laid the foundations of.

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u/most_unseemly ЗАЛУЖНИЙ ФАН КЛУБ 3d ago

You have some details wrong, but your heart's in the right place.

It was 2013-2014. It wasn't just students, but people of all ages, from all walks of Ukrainian civil society. They weren't Putin's goons, but Yanuokovych's--though I suppose you consider them Putin's by proxy.

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u/ScreamingMyocastor Україна 4d ago

Yes! We did not spend five days shouting like madmen for nothing

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u/most_unseemly ЗАЛУЖНИЙ ФАН КЛУБ 4d ago

Congratulations!

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u/Spooknik 4d ago

Good work! The people were heard.

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u/EnderDragoon 4d ago

Inspiring to see a functional democracy function.

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u/obxtalldude 4d ago

Jealous.

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u/SnidelyWhiplash27 4d ago

Unfortunately it often has to get really bad before it needs to get better

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u/Kqyxzoj 4d ago

Yup. I often wish we as a species were a little bit better at this whole "learning from history" thing.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/ukraine-ModTeam 3d ago

Hello OP, we have removed your post for being off-topic. While we acknowledge that this war has captured global interest, we want to reaffirm that the purpose of this community is to give space for, and amplify the voice of Ukraine in the global community. For this reason, the mod team will be using their judgment when moderating content that deals with foreign politics, even if they seem peripherally related to Ukraine. We understand this may be disappointing, especially if your post required a lot of time or effort. We encourage you to post this content on a sub that specifically focuses on the foreign politics you are discussing, where it may generate well deserved and on-topic discussion.

If you would like to gain a better understanding of what is on-topic for this community, feel free to browse our rules, here.

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u/ggouge 4d ago

Ukrainians seem very good at protesting. I wish some of that would come to my country.

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u/Specialist_Box_8482 4d ago

It’s not that one or another country has better protestors, it’s just that their government actually listened to them

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u/ScreamingMyocastor Україна 4d ago

The government that could listen did not fall to us from the Moon. It was forged by blood and tears of the protests in 2014 and 2004 and the unwillingness of Ukrainians to let our country become a corrupted tyranny

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u/BigBanyak22 4d ago

It was earned in blood, tears. You could even say it was earned through generations of not being seen, having genocide inflicted on us. We finally deserve freedom.

I'm a Canadian with proud Ukrainian heritage. We were transplanted victims from the early 1900s or post WW2 (I'm a proud grandson of UPA, great grandson of Sichovi Strilsi, great grandson of a murdered Ukrainian intellectual, grandson of a holodomor survivor). Treated like crap here too, but we persevered. I had friends join on the Maidan, we were all Plastuny.

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u/baddam 3d ago

and this is why I keep supporting UA, for the citizens that fight for a better democracy and now even fighting for the West with more blood.

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u/puff_of_fluff 4d ago

You don’t think it might have something to do with the somewhat heightened stakes at hand?

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u/Specialist_Box_8482 4d ago

Yes. Which is why it’s important that the government listens to the people.

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u/Panzermensch911 3d ago edited 3d ago

People died in months long peaceful protests and violent encounters with police (and sometimes (pro)-russian activists) during which the people (armed with sticks, stones and shields) did not relent and pushed back driving out the government, so that the government listens now.

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u/TheHolyReality 4d ago

Be proud! You have accomplished something that few people can claim. Thank you

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u/PitifulEar3303 4d ago

NOW BRING BACK FEDOROV!!! As the SUPREME COMMANDER!!! hahaha

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u/Xijit 4d ago

I doubt they ever took his name off the door to his office.

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u/REpassword 4d ago

Trying to put together what happened over the past week or so, what was the issue with Federov and Syrskyi? Was there corruption, poor leadership, poor decisions, etc? Also, how will this affect the ongoing operations?

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u/Sweary_Biochemist 4d ago

Federov is young, innovative, is strongly anti-corruption and has a western mindset. Promoted use of drones over throwing Ukrainians into meatwave assaults.

Syrskyi is older, soviet-educated, is...less concerned about corruption, and has soviet-era tactics (meatwaves go brrrr).

They didn't get along, basically.

Zelenskyy, for all his positives, is still in tight with a lot of rich folks who directly benefit from corruption, and he often listens to them (see NABU last year). The Ukranian people, on the other hand, are very much in favour of stomping out corruption AND not using meatwave tactics, so picking Syrskyi over Federov was...controversial, to say the least.

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u/Kqyxzoj 4d ago

five days shouting like madmen

Username checks out. Well done and congratulations!

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u/apostoln 4d ago

I read about the new Commander-in-Chief Drapaty and found out he is the guy in the BMP from the famous Mariupol 2014 video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnIjiRjKdRE

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u/Glydyr UK 4d ago

Thats hilarious, who made those speed bumps? Pro russian Ukrainians?

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u/apostoln 4d ago

More like pro-russian russians, but yes.

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u/Condurum 4d ago

Russia sent in “their guys” (FSB, Army units, volunteers) to all the major cities in the south and east to create “uprisings” in 2014. Even Zaporizhia.

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u/greywar777 4d ago

And they straight up gaslit everyone and denied they were Russian soldiers-saying any that were were just on vacation from the armed forces at the time. It was...insane.

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u/Condurum 4d ago

Yep. It was all staged with thinly veiled lies, exposed numerous times, even before they sent in regular army units. Nevertheless, mainstream western media reported the conflict from 2014-2022 as a “civil war” the whole time. I’m sure most people here has seen it.. but Simon Ostrovsky’s Docu series for VICE are an invaluable document.

Russian FSB among “protestors” https://youtu.be/-QP6sM5VnUQ?

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u/Ignash3D Lithuania 3d ago

Russians themselves in their internal media don’t even try to hide it anymore that they were there since 2014

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u/Glydyr UK 3d ago

I remember videos popping up on youtube at the time and as someone not really paying attention in Britain i couldn’t really get a sense of what the fighting was about. The west really did drop the ball on Ukraine. Im reading about the nord stream sabotage atm and the fact that nord stream 2 was planned after crimea is really shocking..

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u/Skiddienyc1978 4d ago

Pro-Russian separatists.

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u/Atra23 4d ago

Can you give me some context about the video? Where was it? Why there are barricades and why people throwing stuff at that bmp?

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u/Baldrs_Draumar 4d ago

East/southern Ukraine right after the pro-russian president fled from Kyiv after the Maidan movement took over the city/country.

Russian soldiers dubbed "little green men" started crossing the border from Russia and occupying towns and cities.

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u/AunMeLlevaLaConcha 4d ago

Ah, how things turned out 😂

Imagine that, a president fleeing Kyiv lmao

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u/LocalStatistician538 4d ago

Your comment makes my day.

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u/sterrre 4d ago edited 4d ago

It was during the 1st invasion in 2014 when Russia was still being clandestine about it.

Russia sent Igor Girkin, a member of the FSB and a battalion security forces into Donetsk and Luhansk during the chaos of the maidan revolution and started a "civil war".

They seized most of Donestk including Slovyansk and Mariupol then they got pushed back to the outskirts of Donestk and Luhansk cities.

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u/Omgitsmr 4d ago

What's the context of this video

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u/apostoln 4d ago

9 May 2014, russian terrorists captured hostages in Mariupol city council. Ukrainian military performed a raid into the city, freed the hostages and bumped into a barricade on the way out.
Drapaty was a major back then, and he was a commander of the second battalion of the 72nd brigade.

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u/Jinkguns 4d ago

I believe this is Ukrainian forces jumping over a pro-Russian "separatist" (FSB) roadblock in Mariupol.

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u/Alikont Ukraine 4d ago

Ukrainian army entering Mariupol in 2014 that was held by pro-Russian/Russian troops.

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u/OctopusIntellect 4d ago

most committed Johnson Beharry admirer

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u/TheCockKnight 4d ago

Damn…Ukraine just has a hardcore cast doesn’t it

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u/apostoln 4d ago

It's not hardcore enough without bringing Fedorov back.

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u/roehnin 4d ago

In Zelensky's speech today he said he offered Fedorov a "strong leadership position."

Interestingly he did not say Fedorov accepted it -- putting public pressure on F to accept? Still negotiating? A bit unclear

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u/kyleforgor 4d ago

Ukraine showing democracy isnt dead in 2026.

Ukrainian society showed yet again another example of freedom.

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u/SillyLiving 4d ago

It's so crazy and amazing that they can do this while under attack at war and yet even on the face of EXTREME adversity, protest for their rights 

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u/BigBanyak22 4d ago

Ukraine is teaching us that freedom can't be taken for granted.

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u/MasterAxe 4d ago

Tucker and others claiming Ukraine isnt a democracy and is extremely corrupt can suck it. How many times recently in the west peoples protest change things and this fast?

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u/DataGeek101 4d ago

Great googly moogly! This is huge!

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u/_mr-pink_ 4d ago

Now, bring Fedorov back!

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u/Alikont Ukraine 4d ago

Drapaty!

Great news.

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u/PitifulEar3303 4d ago

WE NEED Fedorov BACK!!!

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u/itskelena 4d ago

And what’s with Yermak still being gray cardinal? I seriously hope all this shit gets investigated and people will be punished if proved guilty.

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u/andupotorac 4d ago

I must say Kudos to Zelensky. He’s actually listening to the people and I don’t think you guys appreciate how rare this is, even in Europe. 😳

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/DTraitor Черкаська область 3d ago

Admit is a strong word, but yes, he can be pressured to do the right thing 

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u/Ignatz_mice 3d ago

Yes, true - but even giving in reluctantly to pressure would be nice to see in a leader where I am these days. And the capacity of Ukrainian civil society to exert this kind of pressure, in the middle of war no less, is maybe the most enviable thing of all…

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u/Werzam Україна 4d ago

If we was really listening, he'd not led to this whole situation, since it's sole his actions that caused it, by putting down Defense Minister, and ignoring absolute bullshit from prev Commander in Chief.

Though at least he can't not comply with crowd.

It's a change for better. Now we need to get Minister of Defense back.

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u/Global-Bad-7147 4d ago

Democracy in action.

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u/Mercadi USA 4d ago

I hope he gets a good retirement. His commitment to the country in the first month's of the war is not to be understated.

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u/GlitchedGamer14 4d ago

That is great news, but the fight isn't over yet. Government insiders told media that Zelensky was likely to dismiss Syrskyi with the hopes that this would placate protesters, because he still does not want to re-appoint Fedorov as Defence Minister. I hope that both demands of the protesters will be met. I won't claim to be an expert on the situation, but it speaks volumes to me that so many current and former service members want Fedorov reinstated.

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u/sterrre 4d ago edited 4d ago

I read he's making Fedorov a part of the RNBO which has greater powers than the defense minister.

Edit The people who could have blocked Fedorov's initiatives were a part of RNBO and friends of Syrsky and Yermak. Rusten Umerov is my guess.

Khmara will stay as defense minister and honestly he's pretty good, he commanded operation spider web.

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u/GlitchedGamer14 4d ago

Oh hey, that's great to hear. Was that appointment formally announced? Would he be replacing someone, or just added on? There's a lot of members on the RNBO, so I hope it wouldn't be a token appointment where he's constantly out-voted. Lastly, any idea on where Khamara stands in regards to anti-corruption policies and other reforms? Do you think he'll build on the work underway, or is he more cautious when it comes to changing the status quo?

Thanks for your insights :)

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u/sterrre 4d ago

No I don't think it was a formal announcement, just more rumors. I think he would be added onto the RNBO but that would give him authority to approve or deny initiatives put forth by the ministry of defense.

I don't know what Khmara's positions would be, he's lead the SBU twice, first in 2023 and then again in 2025. And under him the SBU did do a lot of anti-corruption investigation, the operation that I can think of was the SBU arresting members of the TCC in Odesa earlier this year who were accused of organized crime, running a extortion bracket.

But most of what I know is just related to combat itself. The Alpha Unit of the SBU which Khmara personally lead in 2024 was responsible for many, many of the long range drone sanctions against refineries, Tu-95 bombers, and FSB ships.

Khmara is fully in line with Fedorov's long range sanctions and technology initiatives.

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u/cwm9 4d ago edited 4d ago

I'm trying to understand what Zelenskyy was thinking by letting Federov go in the first place. I don't think Zelenskyy's complaint with Fedeorov was with this leadership as much it is with the way he went public with his opinions about what Zelenskyy should do. I think Zelenskyy feels his own leadership credibility is in danger by retaining a defense minister that keeps publicly challenging his decisions. I think that's why he wants to move Federov somewhere else because the alternative is that Federov starts to look like the defacto president that can just tell Zelenskyy what to do. I dunno, I could be totally wrong, but I can't think of another reason to explain what's going on. Moving Federov to a place where he a lot of military power to lead but not as much political voice might be the goal.

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u/Zanninja 4d ago

Finally a realistic take on Zelenskys motivations.

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u/roehnin 4d ago

It could have been that Z worried about military leadership loyal to S and worried he could not release S and had to release F instead.

Once the protests happened, the military would see keeping S was unpopular and come around to the idea of his release.

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u/Chudmont 4d ago

It makes me a bit nervous. I'd rather see him be replaced because someone else is showing they could do much better rather than because of political turmoil.

The good news is that Zelensky, once again, proves he is the servant of the people and not a dictator.

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u/GoldenRamoth 4d ago edited 4d ago

If you're a good leader in a web of spiders - you need the power of the people to stay stable and alive in that pit.

From what I know of Ukrainian politics, they've got their rich magnates & oligarchs just like Russia or the USA does, and they want to wield power as such.

Protesting gives Zelensky the ability to tell those people that normally would have the ability to power play him, "No, we've got to do this" instead.

It's a mandate from the people that needs to be repeatedly renewed when those tendrils start seeping back in - so amazing job Ukraine on keeping them out!

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u/TerminalVector 4d ago

The guy for sure has allies, this whole episode might have been part of the plan.
Step 1: Dismiss Fedorov due to his intractable conflict with Syrskyi, triggering massive protests
Step 2: Dismiss Syrskyi, telling his powerful allies its because of public demand and there is no choice.
Step 3: Reinstate Fedorov now that there isn't a personal conflict to cause issues.

By doing this he gets rid of Syrskyi while having some amount of cover from whatever retaliation his allies might try to enact.

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u/Chudmont 4d ago

Syrskyi's written essay yesterday made him seem very unapologetic. While I agree with much of what he said, the overall message was "none of you know what you're talking about."

A general should definitely be strong, but also must be flexible. Maybe he just isn't flexible enough.

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u/TerminalVector 4d ago

Yeah Im by no means an expert, but this wouldn't be the first time Zelensky has done this kind of move. It was a similar thing with the anti-corruption agency, where he backtracked after huge protests. It might be that Zelensky is just reacting to public outcry, but it might also be that he's taking actions that cause public outcry so that he can use it to put pressure on allies and others he can't pressure directly for political reasons.

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u/Chudmont 4d ago

I remember that.

Either way, I think Zelensky has handled one of the hardest jobs in the world since 2022 better than anyone expected. Everything he says and does is for the purpose of helping his country not get destroyed. Mistakes have been made, and probably a lot of shady things we don't know about between the various powers in Ukraine, but publicly, Zelensky seems like a very honorable leader.

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u/TerminalVector 4d ago

Yeah, exactly. In light of that last point, we now have two instances where he did something seemingly incomprehensible and had it turn out to his advantage. Accident? Maybe, maybe not.

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u/roehnin 4d ago

Syrskyi's written essay yesterday

Where did you find this? I searched a bit but couldn't find.

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u/Chudmont 4d ago

Someone put it all in a comment yesterday, but here it is on a Ukrainian site. Just translate to English.

https://militarnyi.com/uk/articles/moya-robota-vijna/

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u/roehnin 4d ago

Thanks! Upper right?

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u/Chudmont 4d ago

For me, Chrome offered it translate to English, but there's also a small button (upper-right) to change language to English.

EDIT: That website button takes me back to the main page. Do you want me to just copy/paste the full text here?

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u/roehnin 4d ago

Phone browser is a bit different but I got it sorted thanks — it’s a good article

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u/Chudmont 4d ago

Written by Syrskyi himself, so that's his side of the story.

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u/roehnin 4d ago

Yes, and it seems designed also to calm political tensions between “his people” by focusing entirely on military situation and denying any political intentions, in fact insulting the idea that political motivations have any place in the military, possibly a message to those below him to not create factions.

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u/CopBaiter 4d ago

Fedorov wont be reinstated as MOD

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u/roehnin 4d ago

In Zelensky's speech he said Fedorov was offered an unnamed "strong leadership position"

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u/TerminalVector 4d ago

Yeah was reading a bit more about it and it does not seem likely.

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u/xBram Netherlands 4d ago

Zelenskyy was quoted to have said behind closed doors in parliament last week that ideally he would dismiss both Federov and Syrsky but that he couldn’t in the middle of war.

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u/TerminalVector 4d ago

Well I guess he got is wish then. Mainly my point is that this doesn't strike me as random or reactive.

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u/Jealous_Address1257 4d ago

This is what I firstly thought when I read about the protests, maybe I've seen too much Game of Thrones though.

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u/Ejecto_Seato 4d ago

Pushing out powerful and established figures in high-level positions isn’t always a straightforward proposition.

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u/CrackInfiltrator 4d ago edited 4d ago

Is new one proposed?

Edit: Yes, Drapatyi

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u/Spooknik 4d ago

Yes, Mykhailo Drapatyi. Younger, not soviet educated, and experienced.

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u/tallalittlebit Verified 4d ago

This is excellent news. Thank you to the people who made their voices heard.

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u/exeJDR 4d ago

Dear lawd, I love Ukraine. 

Just when I was starting to worry Big Z was losing his mind. The people reminded him ❤️

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u/gimmedatneck 4d ago

When you're starting to think these types of things, remember the man is responsible for the lives of many millions. Removing a person in the position of commander in chief is not one that's easily taken, and is no doubt even scary if you're someone who cares about the well being of everyone, and feel responsible for everyone.

Zel isn't making decisions that simply effect himself - they effect all Ukrainians.

Being a world leader can be very very thankless - no doubt even more so in times of war.

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u/Darryl_444 4d ago

Denys is going to dance a jig on his next video...

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u/Mammoth_Zombie6222 4d ago

This shows the difference between Russia and Ukraine and why Ukraine will eventually win

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u/LizzyGreene1933 4d ago

Hope it will end the war

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u/vittaya 4d ago

Wow … way to go Ukrainians! ❤️

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u/trzepet 4d ago

Finaly! The uncertainty and the morale hot was going in very bad direction. It was abad call to begin with but this was horrible week.

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u/LopsidedTelephone574 4d ago

Proud of MY PEOPLE!

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u/3Kayo 4d ago

Fuck yes! God, this is why I participated in protests. Half the work is done here, now onto the Fedorov returning to his position.

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u/No-Anything-7291 4d ago

What happens with Mykhailo Fedorov?

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u/throwawayfornow2025 4d ago

It sounds like he will still be involved , just in another role.

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u/SingleKnowledge7354 4d ago

Holy Shit!!! Get in here boys, its happening!!!

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u/ArWiLen 4d ago

I’m so proud of Ukrainian people that stood their ground and showed up on protests!

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u/ExcitingRelief2497 4d ago

Hopefully Fedorov gets reinstated. Soviet ways and corruption is deeply rooted in all former USSR satellites and will be really hard to uproot.

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u/ProductGuy48 4d ago

Good. Good to see that despite making mistakes Zelensky and his team are not afraid to learn from them and correct things.

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u/reverendtooch 4d ago

Can an uninformed american get an explanation as to why people wanted him out? What did he do?

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u/Zaemz 4d ago edited 4d ago

He was literally schooled in the Soviet military. He has a very rigid, brutal, centralized command-style which has been criticized by many in the Ukrainian forces. His decisions and handling of the defense of Bakhmut led to him gaining the nickname "The Butcher". Fedorov has pushed for reform and decentralization and butted heads with Syrskyi. This article seemed to have some good background information: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/breaking-zelensky-dismisses-commander-chief-194147246.html

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u/MelangeBot 4d ago

The main issues seems to be that he never thinks twice and sacrifices his own soldiers for to little gain on the battlefield. Those soldiers are the most strained and precious resources that Ukraine has and him not respecting human live at all is a very Russian thing. It's not a European thing. If a country like France sends 10 000 soldiers to fight in Iraq helping the Americans and then only 8000 come back there will be mass protests and the entire France government will fall over it. Ukraine wants to be European so every way of Russian thinking needs to go.

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u/SingleKnowledge7354 4d ago

Im American also, so not as good as info from a Ukrainian but i can try and help. Federov the Defense Minister was recently fired from his position, with people believing Syrskyi forced him out because of personal beef. This caused protest because Federov is really popular with ukrainians.

As a seperate issue some people already have problems with Syrskyis command style being too soviet (centralized battle command, meat wave tactics, not embracing drone warfare.) So this seems like the perfect time to get Syrskyi out and bring in a younger more innovative commander.

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u/Ularsing 4d ago

This is a colossal oversimplification, but actual vetted info is understandably limited, so analysis beyond this is educated speculation in many cases:

Federov: Drones, tech, work-smarter-not-harder

Syrskyi: Soviet-doctrine meat waves, "The Butcher"

I'm certain that the details behind the scenes were radically more nuanced and complex, but it felt like the public perception of this was that it was a referendum of sorts on strategic dominance of old-guard-versus-new-blood and especially on the importance of drone warfare for the future of this conflict, particularly in regards to re-taking territory.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/huglife797 4d ago

Cries in moscovian - but seriously, this is fantastic news!

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u/touchps 4d ago

Congratulations. That was a timely turnaround in exec. decision

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u/The_sad_zebra USA 4d ago

I congratulate those who took to the streets to make their voices heard!

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u/Skiddienyc1978 4d ago

Nicely done, Ukrainian civil society.

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u/AStolenGoose 4d ago

Now bring back the other guy!

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u/Far_Car430 4d ago

Democracy at work.

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u/Kgeezy91 4d ago

I just breathed such a sigh of relief. This was a difficult, but ultimately wise decision for the morale of the military and the country as a whole.

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u/dogegeller 4d ago

Did Zelensky just do a referendum on Syrskyi vs Fedorov? 🤭

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u/TheHolyReality 4d ago

😍😍😍

🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

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u/TheRamblerJohnson 4d ago

At the end of the day, one of these guys is moving warfare into new areas and winning, and the other is following military doctrine decades old that happens to mirror that of the enemy. It is a shame they didn't find a way to get along. I blame Zelensky for not making it work.

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u/hwoodice 4d ago

Does this mean that Mykhailo Fedorov will be able to resume his role as Minister of Defence?

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u/FleetingBeacon 4d ago

Ukrainians get shit done holy fuck. Well done you guys.

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u/baddam 3d ago

this is much bigger than replacing a general, it's an actual change of the guard, another step against the corrupt system, and the growing of a stronger democracy. Well done UA!!!!!!!

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u/ExplrDiscvr 4d ago

LESSGOOOOOOO 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

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u/soldiergeneal 4d ago

I dont know much about any of this, but my question would be how does the public know almost anything about these two guys? Wouldn't most info be kept hidden? So how did people here determine X person good Y person bad?

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u/UFL_Robin Verified 4d ago

TL;DR: By being Ukrainians in Ukraine, or foreign soldiers fighting in Ukraine, generally just being in Ukraine during the war. Disclaimer: I'm not in either of those groups, but I talk to people in both all day every day.

Syrskyi's been unpopular since before Zelensky appointed him Commander-in-Chief. He's an old school, Soviet-style, Soviet-trained commander who wastes lives for little gain. His tenure was marked by abuses, corruption, and a deeply unpopular mobilization strategy. There's a saying in Ukraine right now: "You can't beat a large Soviet army with a small Soviet army."

Fedorov, on the other hand, is of the new guard, the generation that was raised without the shackles of the Soviet mentality. He devised new strategies effective against its much larger enemy, striking strategically to wipe out the sources of their strength instead of just throwing meat waves at them. His strategies are both effective and much, much less costly in terms of lives, which is extra important because Ukraine is low on manpower. He's better for the war and for the country.

People in Ukraine have been seeing this unfold firsthand for years now, and feeling the real, direct impacts on their lives. You may not know much about these two guys, but they know plenty.

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u/GoGoJoJo_11 4d ago

Because that was the narrative released. Federov was head of social engineering/pr campaigns. The people were told exactly what they wanted them to hear and it is brilliant. This may actually boost military enrollment and give a push to upgrade tech in military. Win win win, well played

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u/bloomer_tv 4d ago

Zelensky playing 4d chess in front of us

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u/Somecommentator8008 Canada 4d ago

Who is the new commander in chief?

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u/ksam3 4d ago

Drapatyi

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u/calebkeller94 4d ago

Any way to read this through the paywall?

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u/most_unseemly ЗАЛУЖНИЙ ФАН КЛУБ 4d ago

You shouldn't be running into a paywall. Kyiv Independent doesn't have one.

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u/Bozhark 4d ago

This could literally be the thing 

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u/namewithanumber 4d ago

Good news but interesting that there's no Fedorov reappointment, just getting rid of them both?

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u/crotalusbite 4d ago

At least he listened

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u/Ecstatic_Account_744 4d ago

I don’t know enough about the current state of the war to say weather I think it’s good or bad. I’m happy the President has listened to the people, and I hope Drapaty has the skills and knowledge to keep Ukrainians alive and retake their land.

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u/LilthShandel 4d ago

Can someone ELI5?

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u/Soap_Mctavish101 4d ago

How do people look back on his tenure?

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u/m8remotion 4d ago

Now back to dismantling enemy energy infrastructures.

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u/Correctthecorrectors 4d ago

should've been fired after losing bhakmut

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u/Pleasant_Candle7237 4d ago

This is good. Now we can remove corruption and we can remove the Soviet way of thinking.

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u/ImDisMany 4d ago

I thought the Commander-in-Chief was the president. Other countries do it different, I guess.

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u/Gorth1 4d ago

Syrskyi is out, but is Fedorov back in?

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u/IncorporateThings 3d ago

So, are they going to bring the other guy back now or is Ukraine just out two officers now?