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"Today I am leaving my post as Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces… I've said this before and I repeat it today: my job is war. Positions change, but this principle does not,” the statement read. “Whatever my status, I will serve Ukraine until victory.”
Syrskyi listed his achievements since February 2022, beginning with the defense of Kyiv and Kharkiv. This was followed by the Kharkiv offensive, where the Defense Forces liberated Balakliia, Izium, and Kupiansk in a matter of weeks.
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Syrskyi took command in February 2024 during the defense of Avdiivka, recalling that one of his first decisions was ordering the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the city before subsequently halting Russian offensives in Kharkiv and Sumy and launching the Kursk operation.
Syrskyi also highlighted the creation of the Unmanned Systems Forces, the army's transition to a corps-based system, air defense reforms, operations in the Black Sea, the destruction of the Russian shadow fleet, and offensive operations in Donetsk Oblast.
"And most importantly, the state in which I am handing over the battlefield,” Syrskyi wrote. “This year under my command, 700 square kilometers of our land were liberated. The army, which two years ago waged a difficult defense, is now advancing.”
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Syrskyi added that the greatest responsibility for an officer is commanding troops during war, noting that he had witnessed the conflict since its first day in 2014, lived at the front, and knows "the value of every liberated kilometer of Ukrainian soil”.
The President appointed General Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on February 8, 2024, following the dismissal of Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Prior to this, Syrskyi served as Commander of the Ground Forces and headed the Khortytsia operational-strategic group.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Syrskyi’s departure on the evening of July 21, 2026, appointing Joint Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new Commander-in-Chief.
Read also: Fedorov calls Syrskyi after Zelenskyy replaced him with Drapatyi
Oleksandr Syrskyi’s dismissal followed widespread protests across Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, which erupted after Mykhailo Fedorov resigned as Defense Minister on July 16 and accused the Commander-in-Chief of blocking his team's initiatives and “weaving political intrigues”.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Section: Nation
Author: Midian Al-Rifai
