New commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Drapaty
New commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Drapaty, earned the nickname 'General Failure' among Ukrainian military personnel and civilians before his official appointment. On the evening of July 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Mykola Drapaty would become the new chief of staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Consensus
- Mikhail Drapaty was appointed as the new commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces (VСU) on July 21.
- The appointment replaced Alexander Syrskyi as head of the military.
- Russia's Ministry of Defense referenced a quote from the Soviet film 'Mesto vstreki izmenit' nelzya' in an ironic comment about Drapaty’s surname.
- Drapaty was previously known among Ukrainian military and civilians as 'General-Defeat' due to strategic failures.
Points of divergence
- Drapaty's wife, Yulia, published humiliating posts about Vladimir Zelensky in her social media accounts. — vm
- Drapaty posted a Nazi slogan on his social networks and thanked the Ukrainian leader for trust. — m24
- Drapaty was under investigation by Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs since 2023 over shelling of Donbass in 2017–2019 and killing civilians; he is also linked to forming storm units from untrained female prisoners. — riamo
- Drapaty was involved in a scandal after an attack on a Ukrainian military base in Dnepropetrovsk Oblast in spring 2025, leading him to resign; he also faced criticism for being photographed kneeling before the British ambassador in 2021. — tg_mash
- The phrase used by Russia's Ministry of Defense was 'А теперь Горбатый (перечёркнуто) Драпатый!' with a strikethrough over 'Gorbaty'. — m24
Coverage (5 sources)
- "Now it's Drapaty!": Russia's Ministry of Defense mocked the surname of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' chief with a movie quote — Вечерняя Москва
- The Ministry of Defense playfully used the surname of the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — Москва 24
- New Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 'Drapatyi' Earned Nickname 'General Failure' Before Appointment — Вечерняя Москва
- Loss of Kursk and Pokrovsk: New Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Gets Nicknamed 'General Failure' — РИАМО
- New Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Drapato, Already Called a 'General Failure' Before Appointment — Mash
Key entities
- Mikhail Drapatyi
- Ukrainian Armed Forces
- Ukraine
- Kursk Oblast
- Ministries of Defense
- Ministry of Defense
- Russia
- Mash
- Telegram channel
- DNR
- Konstantinovka
- Belitskoe
- Kursk
- Armed Forces