Zelenskyy fires Ukraine’s army chief and offers Fedorov ‘prominent position’

After nationwide protests Oleksandr Syrskyi is to be replaced in reshuffle and popular defence minister returns to government

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and offered a “prominent position” to the defence minister he sacked last week in a move that sparked nationwide protests.

In a late-night TV address, Zelenskyy said he was appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi, a popular and innovative general, as the new head of Ukraine’s armed forces. Drapatyi would oversee a reorganisation of the army’s command structure, Ukraine’s president said.