Ukraine Overhauls Top Military Brass   07/22 06:06

   

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukraine pushed on with its fight against Russia's 
invasion under new military leadership Wednesday, after President Volodymyr 
Zelenskyy bowed to public pressure and fired his commander-in-chief.

   Ukraine has made significant progress in the war this year, and a rift 
between the country's outgoing army chief and its defense minister threatened 
to derail its efforts. Both men lost their jobs following Zelenskyy's major 
government reshuffle last week.

   The top-level changes late Tuesday were intended to draw a line under an 
unwelcome spasm of political turmoil that lasted almost a week and prompted 
rejoicing in Russia. It was not clear whether Zelenskyy's measures would 
achieve that goal.

   The new army chief, 43-year-old Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, belongs to a 
new generation of Ukrainian generals who have come up through the ranks during 
the battle against Russian aggression. He became known for his daring and 
courage in 2014, the year that Russia seized and illegally annexed Ukraine's 
Crimean Peninsula -- eight years before Moscow's all-out invasion.

   Zelenskyy said Drapatyi and other commanders must present an updated defense 
strategy, including continued reform of the corps system, faster weapon and 
drone deliveries, stronger air defense against Russian strikes, and a clearer 
mobilization plan.

   Russia says the changes in Kyiv won't alter the front line

   There is no sign that the two countries are any closer to a peace 
settlement, despite U.S.-led diplomatic efforts.

   Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Moscow is sticking to 
its previous demands. They include Kyiv withdrawing its forces from the four 
eastern regions that Russia has seized but doesn't fully control, renouncing 
any aspirations to NATO membership, and sharply cutting the size of its army, 
among other things.

   Peskov told reporters that the Ukrainian political and military changes 
reflect strains in Kyiv.

   "Kyiv's regime is trembling from within. It can be seen with the naked eye," 
Peskov said.

   Neither will the top-level alterations change the front line, he told 
reporters, claiming that Russian forces are on the offensive.

   With the war's roughly 1,250-kilometer (800-mile) front line mostly 
off-limits to independent observers, Russia and Ukraine have also engaged in a 
propaganda battle.

   Fedorov's future is still uncertain

   Zelenskyy met separately Tuesday with outgoing defense minister Mykhailo 
Fedorov, a 35-year-old tech-savvy entrepreneur credited with swiftly developing 
Ukraine's drone technology that has given it a battlefield edge.

   Fedorov locked horns with outgoing commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr 
Syrskyi, a 60-year-old veteran trained in the Soviet Union before Ukraine's 
independence.

   Street protests in Kyiv and other cities demanded Fedorov's return, viewing 
him as a key military modernizer, and urged Zelenskyy to fire Syrskyi, regarded 
as part of the old guard.

   Zelenskyy offered Fedorov what he called a respected position in the 
government that would unify the country's technology sector. It wasn't clear if 
Fedorov accepted the offer -- or whether the latest moves would satisfy 
protesters and calm the streets.

   Fedorov said after his dismissal last week that he had been offered jobs by 
some global defense tech companies.

   Fedorov supported Drapatyi's appointment, calling it a "new hope in the 
fight of free people for freedom and justice" and "a voice for change that 
could not go unheard."

   Fedorov had criticized Syrskyi publicly before his dismissal, saying the 
general was blocking his reform efforts and needed to be replaced for Ukraine 
not to fail in its resistance against Russia.

   Outgoing military chief points to recent battlefield achievements

   Syrskyi defended his wartime record in a statement Wednesday.

   Among other things, he claimed Ukrainian forces had clawed back 743 square 
kilometers (287 square miles) of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory this year 
and said he was handing his successor an army that was not only defending but 
also conducting offensive operations.

   It was not possible to independently verify his claim.

   Fedorov called Syrskyi to thank him for his military triumphs, including 
defending the Kyiv region at the time of Russia's February 2022 full-scale 
invasion, the Kharkiv counteroffensive operation later that year and other 
battles, calling them "already an important part of Ukraine's history." But he 
added that the country must "move even faster and write new chapters, 
correcting all previous mistakes."

   The political crisis began last Thursday, when Zelenskyy overhauled his 
wartime government, replacing his prime minister and firing Fedorov after just 
six months in the post.

   The reshuffle immediately drew thousands of protesters into the streets of 
Kyiv and other cities, framing Fedorov's removal as Zelenskyy siding with an 
entrenched military old guard over a reformer.

   Zelenskyy said Wednesday that he's also appointing Maj. Gen. Ihor Skybiuk as 
chief of the General Staff as part of the overhaul.

   Russia and Ukraine keep up their long-range strikes

   The political maneuvers took place against a backdrop of continued deadly 
strikes by Russia and Ukraine onto each other's soil.

   Ukrainian drones overnight struck two more sprawling warehouses of Russia's 
major online retailer, Wildberries, in Russia's southern regions of Krasnodar 
and Stavropol, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim and Russian officials said 
Wednesday.

   The strikes came four days after Ukraine's long-range drones hit massive 
Wildberries warehouses in the Moscow region and in the Tambov region, killing 
eight people and wounding dozens, according to officials.

   Zelenskyy said, without naming the facilities, that they were used by Russia 
to supply sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation 
equipment.

   Russian attacks, meanwhile, have also struck several major Ukrainian 
logistics hubs and retail facilities over the past week.

   Russia attacked Ukraine with four missiles of various types and 216 
long-range strike drones overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, according to the 
Ukrainian air force.

   In the southern Odesa region, a Russian drone killed a woman when it struck 
a two-story apartment building, regional military administration head Oleh 
Kiper said.