SerpApi.Org
Ukraine swapped its top army chief on July 21 following days of passionate street protests across the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi to replace Oleksandr Syrskyi after public anger mounted over leadership decisions in Kyiv.
Drapatyi, who is 43, represents a much younger generation of military leaders. He has spent more than a decade on the front lines, rising from a battalion commander in 2014 to top roles in Kherson and Kharkiv.
The switch quickly sparked a flurry of reactions among Russian military bloggers and social media users. Many viewed the younger general with immediate concern.
Voices of concern
According to the Kyiv Independent, Russian military blogger Kirill Fedorov posted the famous 2014 video footage of Drapatyi driving an armored vehicle through enemy barricades in Mariupol.
“He hates us, and he hates us consistently. That means he will try to kill us, regardless of any moral constraints,” Fedorov wrote on Telegram to nearly 500,000 subscribers.
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Other pro-Russian analysts highlighted the stark contrast between Drapatyi and older military commanders. Yuriy Podolyaka stressed that the new chief understands modern combat from personal experience.
“Drapatyi is only 43 years old. And he started this war as a battalion commander!” Podolyaka noted. He added, “This is bad news for us. A general who rose through the ranks during wartime and understands war is a very formidable opponent.”
The former army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, is 60 years old.
The clip showing who Drapatyi is in battle
On May 9, 2014, the strategic port city of Mariupol became a flashpoint when pro-Russian separatists, coordinated by covert Russian operatives, attempted to seize the city’s police headquarters. Facing a heavily armed ambush, local police officers who remained loyal to Kyiv refused to surrender and became trapped inside the burning building.
With the local chain of command collapsing and internal security forces overwhelmed, a column of the Ukrainian Army’s 72nd Mechanized Brigade was dispatched on a high-stakes rescue mission to break the siege and prevent the city from falling into separatist control.
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Leading the vanguard was then-Major Mykhailo Drapatyi, commanding a column of BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles. As his unit advanced through the chaotic city streets, they were suddenly cut off by an angry, pro-Russian crowd and a makeshift barricade of tires, sandbags, and debris designed to trap the armor and trigger an ambush.
Recognizing that stopping would hand the initiative to the militants and doom the besieged police officers, Drapatyi made a split-second decision that cemented his place in Ukrainian military folklore.
He ordered his driver to accelerate to maximum speed, utilizing the barricade as a launch ramp. The armored vehicle went fully airborne, crashing through the blockade in a dramatic show of resolve that stunned the hostile crowd, cleared the path for his unit, and ultimately laid the groundwork for his legendary status as a commander who refuses to back down.
The clip has been viewed millions of times over the years, and it has resurfaced following Drapatyi’s promotion.
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