The biggest story out of Ukraine in the last 24 hours is another shake-up in the military command. On the evening of July 21, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, who, like Valeriy Zaluzhny before him, had become a highly visible figure in Ukraine’s war effort and a focus of political scrutiny. The move came after days of mass protests triggered by the dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, with demonstrators demanding both his return and changes at the top of the military leadership.
Syrskyi’s replacement is Mykhailo Drapatyi, one of the youngest generals in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He is a representative of the officer generation whose careers were forged entirely in the post-2014 war environment. Drapatyi previously commanded the 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade and led the several operational groupings. In 2025, Russian Iskander ballistic missiles struck training ranges in Dnipropetrovsk Region where units under his command were conducting exercises. The strikes resulted in hundreds of casualties. With a new commander in place, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are expected to undergo a personnel reshuffle and a broader restructuring of the command system.
Against this backdrop, the intensity of the strikes on both sides remains high. Russian precision strikes hit two vessels in the Black Sea, as well as port infrastructure and fuel storage tanks in Odessa, as well as facilities used to store military cargo. A Nova Poshta logistics center in the city, which was also used to store military supplies, was hit, as was a Ukrainian Neptune coastal missile battery in the Kovalivka settlement.
Ukraine has continued targeting Russian logistics infrastructure linked to e-commerce. Major Wildberries marketplace distribution centers in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions were hit, causing hundreds of millions of rubles in damage. A similar facility was previously destroyed in the Moscow region, and more attacks of this kind are expected.
On the front lines, the Ukrainian army continues to retreat. In the Shostka district of Sumy Region, there is ongoing street fighting in Ulanovo and on the approaches to Mala Slobidka. Units of Ukraine’s 104th Territorial Defense Brigade abandoned their positions on the northern outskirts and fled deeper into Ukrainian-controlled territory, leaving behind weapons, equipment, and communications gear.
In Kharkiv Region, Russian assault units are advancing in Kozacha Lopan and the surrounding woodlands. During the clearing of the settlement, a Ukrainian ambush group from the 425th Assault Regiment was destroyed. In the Volchansk district, advance units of Russia’s 71st Division captured Volokhovske.
The dismissal of another commander in chief highlights the growing strain on Zelenskyy’s wartime leadership. Whether the shake-up produces real change remains an open question.
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the protests a likely just a slop media psy opp. this minor political staged instability is symptomatic of a failed nation that adds no value to the earth. period.