Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov thanked the outgoing Commander-in-Chief of the AFU, Oleksandr Syrsky. He also expressed full support for the next Commander-in-Chief, Mykhailo Drapaty.
"The President, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, has made an extremely important personnel decision regarding the renewal of the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Now the main thing is troop management and full concentration on the front, because the enemy does not take pauses in the war," reads Budanov’s Telegram post on Wednesday.
He thanked Syrsky for years of the hardest work, for his endurance, and for his dedication to Ukraine. "You have done an extraordinary amount for the defense of Ukraine. The defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv operation, the most difficult sectors of the front, and generally taking command of the Armed Forces at one of the most critical moments of the war. We worked side by side in these operations – together with the Main Intelligence Agency (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which I headed, and I saw this work," Budanov noted.
He emphasized that he has known Drapatyi for a long time: "He is a commander with a real sense of battle, who soberly assesses the situation, makes decisions quickly, and protects people. The army trusts him, and this is a combat merit."
The Head of the Presidential Office believes that Drapaty "has everything" to accomplish major tasks.
"The army is strong, the command is in reliable hands. We know what we stand for, and we know where we are going. Our resilience is the path to victory," the post reads.
Budanov noted that Drapaty can count on his "full support and help."
As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in his evening address on July 21 that Mykhailo Drapatyi would be appointed Commander-in-Chief of the AFU, replacing Oleksandr Syrsky.
