Mykhailo Drapatyi: Ukrainians Hope New Commander Will End Army's 'Soviet Culture' — Wildberries Warehouses Hit Again as Deep Strikes Intensify

23 July 2026 | Kyiv, Moscow, Washington — Updated 16:30 GMT

On Tuesday night, the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, named the 43-year-old major general Mykhailo Drapatyi as the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, putting him at the head of the military as Kyiv tries to shift the momentum of the war.

The appointment was one of the few wartime decisions in Ukraine to command near-universal support, reflecting Drapatyi's high standing across the country's political, military and civil society circles, and helping to steady the political mood after days of turmoil in Kyiv.

Drapatyi belongs to a younger generation of Ukrainian commanders formed by more than a decade of fighting, and built his reputation on the frontline. Supporters say he took up drone warfare early, and pushed authority down to junior officers and expected them to answer for their own decisions.

Perhaps more importantly for many Ukrainians, he represents a break with the Soviet-style command culture soldiers associated with Syrskyi, whom critics accused of relying on costly frontal assaults and spending soldiers' lives too freely.

Welcome to the latest from the Russia-Ukraine war — where new leadership and deep strikes reshape the battlefield.

Mykhailo Drapatyi Named Ukraine's New Commander-in-Chief

On Tuesday night, the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, named the 43-year-old major general Mykhailo Drapatyi as the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, putting him at the head of the military as Kyiv tries to shift the momentum of the war.

The appointment was one of the few wartime decisions in Ukraine to command near-universal support, reflecting Drapatyi's high standing across the country's political, military and civil society circles, and helping to steady the political mood after days of turmoil in Kyiv.

Days earlier, thousands of demonstrators had taken to the streets after the dismissal of the popular defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who had clashed with the then commander-in-chief, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, over the conduct of the war.

A Break with 'Soviet Culture': Drapatyi's Rise Through the Ranks

Drapatyi belongs to a younger generation of Ukrainian commanders formed by more than a decade of fighting, and built his reputation on the frontline.

Supporters say he took up drone warfare early, and pushed authority down to junior officers and expected them to answer for their own decisions.

Perhaps more importantly for many Ukrainians, he represents a break with the Soviet-style command culture soldiers associated with Syrskyi, whom critics accused of relying on costly frontal assaults and spending soldiers' lives too freely.

"[Drapatyi] is a critic of Soviet-style thinking and micromanagement, and he recognises the problems with lying inside the military," said Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Bielieskov described Drapatyi as "humane and open to dialogue" – qualities he said were unusual among Ukraine's senior military leadership.

Drapatyi's Reputation: Accountability and Reform

Drapatyi has also been unusually outspoken about the need to reform the army's internal culture. In a social media post last year, he criticised what he described as "an atmosphere of fear, lack of initiative, [and] imperviousness to feedback", arguing that such attitudes undermined the military's effectiveness.

After a Russian missile strike on a training ground killed dozens of soldiers under his command, Drapatyi publicly accepted responsibility and offered his resignation rather than shift the blame on to subordinates – a gesture that won him widespread admiration and reinforced his reputation as one of Ukraine's most accountable commanders.

"President Zelenskyy made the best possible choice," said the Ukrainian military analyst and veteran who writes under the pseudonym Tatarigami. "It will take time for changes to take effect. But I know many soldiers have renewed hope for change, and that is very important for morale."

War on Wildberries: Two More Warehouses Hit in Russia

Ukraine has attacked two more warehouses of Russian online retailer Wildberries, the company boss said on Wednesday. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine struck what he described as logistics hubs in Russia's Krasnodar and Stavropol regions involved in supplying the Russian military with drone components and other equipment.

Tatyana Kim, the co-founder and head of Wildberries, said a warehouse was attacked in Krasnodar, and another in Nevinnomyssk, which is in Stavropol. In Krasnodar, the regional governor said a young woman was killed and three others taken to hospital.

Ukraine, whose own cities are under constant attack, insists it is hitting companies and infrastructure that support the Russian military. The attacks on massive Wildberries warehouses mark a new stage in Ukraine's campaign of deep strikes inside Russia, whose military has targeted Ukraine's logistics hubs as well as its energy system and power grid.

Drapatyi: 'Intensify Offensive Operations in All Domains'

Coinciding with the latest strikes, Mykhailo Drapatyi, Ukraine's new top military commander, said he had been tasked with stepping up counteroffensive actions and launching new operations inside Russia.

"The president of Ukraine has set clear objectives for us: to continue and intensify offensive operations in all domains, to plan new operations behind enemy lines, to develop our military and its technologies, and to build up the capabilities of the armed forces of Ukraine."

Analysts Warn: Expectations May Run Ahead of What the Job Allows

Analysts warn, however, that expectations may have run ahead of what the job allows.

Drapatyi is expected to improve battlefield management and the army's day-to-day functioning. But many of Ukraine's most pressing wartime challenges lay beyond the authority of any commander-in-chief, said Bielieskov.

Long-running tensions between the defence ministry and the general staff remained unresolved, while the politically fraught issue of mobilisation reform continued to weigh on the war effort, Bielieskov said. "There is a risk that in six months he will be blamed for problems he cannot fully control. Many of the biggest challenges facing Ukraine lie outside his mandate."

Other Developments: EU Sanctions, Energy Attacks, and Zelenskyy's Diplomacy

A Russian attack damaged an energy facility in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, leaving more than 100,000 consumers without power, a regional electricity distribution company said. It added that repair work would begin as soon as the security situation allowed.

The MV South Star oil tanker was boarded by European Union forces after being suspected of sailing under a false flag in breach of international maritime law, said Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat. Kallas said the move was aimed at targeting Russia's "shadow fleet" carrying sanctioned Russian oil.

The EU pushed on Wednesday to overcome an objection from Greece and agree a new round of sanctions on Russia to continue limiting its fossil fuel revenues. Athens is pushing for the bloc to allow one of its firms to keep on transporting LNG to non-EU clients from Russia's Arctic Yamal facility. The 27 member states have meanwhile struck a temporary compromise to maintain a price cap on Russian oil at $44 for a week. Brussels wants to fix the oil price cap for several more months to stop Russia benefiting from price hikes caused by the Middle East war.

Zelenskyy said he spoke with the US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Wednesday. The Trump interlocutors have repeatedly visited Russia to listen to Vladimir Putin and his representatives, but not Ukraine. Both the Ukrainian president and the White House confirmed the telephone conversation. Zelenskyy said: "It was a good, important conversation on how to reinvigorate diplomacy and bring peace closer. Peace is needed – peace with dignity, and Ukraine has long been ready for it."

Zelenskyy said he had met the US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, in Kyiv and discussed licences for Ukraine to make Patriot air defence systems. "Production licences, missiles and everything else that is needed," Zelenskyy said. "I am, frankly, asking for faster action and greater support."

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