Drapatiy officially assumed duties as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: first statement

Major General Mykhailo Drapaty officially assumed the duties of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He also announced that Major General Ihor Skybyuk will become Chief of the General Staff.

Drapatiy reported this on Facebook.

According to the Commander-in-Chief, the President of Ukraine supported his proposal to appoint Skybyuk as Chief of the General Staff.

“I have assumed the duties of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Chief of the General Staff in my command will be Major General Ihor Skybyuk, former commander of the Airborne Assault Forces. I thank the President of Ukraine for supporting this decision,” he wrote.

Drapatiy said that he met Skybyuk in 2022 during the operation to liberate the Kherson region. At that time, they worked from the same command post, coordinating the actions of Ukrainian troops in the south.

He noted that during this time he was convinced of Skybyuk’s professionalism and his ability to make decisions in the most difficult conditions. Drapatiy also noted that under Skybyuk’s leadership, a new generation of strong commanders was formed in the Airborne Assault Forces.

The new commander-in-chief emphasized that the Armed Forces have a lot of difficult work ahead of them. According to him, the team will work without loud statements, focusing on responsibility for the decisions made and supporting the military, who are on the defense every day.

Separately, Drapatiy reported that the president has identified key tasks for the command. These include the continuation and intensification of offensive actions in all areas, preparation of new operations behind enemy lines, development of military technologies, and further building up the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As previously reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Mykhailo Drapaty will become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine . At the same time, Oleksandr Syrskyy will complete his work in the position and hand over his affairs to the new leadership.