The new Ukrainian Army Chief of Staff, Mykhailo Drapati, said on Monday that he had been tasked with stepping up the counteroffensive and launching a new operation on Russian territory, Reuters reported, as quoted by BTA.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Drapati, 43, to the top military post on Tuesday, replacing Oleksandr Syrsky, 60. This is the biggest shake-up in Ukraine's military leadership since the Russian invasion in 2022, Reuters noted.
The move followed the dismissal last week of the technology-oriented reformist Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, which exposed deep divisions in Ukraine's defense leadership.
“The president of Ukraine has set us clear tasks - to continue and intensify offensive operations in all areas; to plan new operations behind enemy lines; to develop our army and its technologies and build the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Drapati wrote on Facebook.
Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and logistics this year in an attempt to undermine Moscow’s military efforts.
Major General Igor Skibyuk, a former commander of the Air Assault Forces, will be the new chief of the General Staff, Drapati announced.
Drapati, a respected and experienced commander, is being called by many a new generation general. Syrsky has faced sharp criticism for his tough command style, which some military personnel say has led to unjustifiably "heavy troop losses." In a social media post today confirming his resignation, Syrsky highlighted his battlefield experience and reforms, including the return of more than 700 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory this year. "I am handing over to my successor an army that not only holds the defense, but also attacks - with initiative, with structure, with people who know how to defeat the enemy," he said. Drapati takes office at a time of growing social and political tension over Ukraine's military leadership and will face a host of challenges, including the sensitive issue of recruiting more soldiers into the army. "A practical, effective mobilization process was established as priority”, Zelensky wrote on the social platform Ex.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the granting of licenses for the production of missiles for the "Patriot" air defense systems with Matthew Whitaker, the US permanent representative to NATO, during his visit to Kiev today, Reuters reported.
"We had a fruitful conversation, discussing, first of all, the protection of Ukrainian airspace through the production of more interceptor missiles for the "Patriot" systems within the framework of the "Ukraine's Priority Needs List" (PURL) initiative. This is crucial given the massive Russian attacks that continue in full force," Zelensky wrote on the social network Ex.
Russia, for its part, said on Monday that it had struck the Ukrainian cities of Odessa and Chornomorsk, hitting port infrastructure and vessels it said were used by the Ukrainian military, Reuters reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the latest strikes targeted a dry cargo ship that was unloading at the port of Chornomorsk, as well as a military warehouse and fuel and lubricants tanks.
The statement added that loading and unloading facilities in Odessa were also hit, as well as a dry cargo ship and a bulk carrier that were transporting cargo to Odessa for the Ukrainian military.
Russian drones also attacked three warehouses where Ukrainian drones were stored, it said. Ministry.
Reuters said it could not independently verify this information.
TASS added that, according to information from the Russian Defense Ministry, the cargo ship hit in Chornomorsk was transporting materials intended for the Ukrainian army.