Mykhailo Drapatyi: Can new Ukraine army chief alter Russia war’s direction?
News|Russia-Ukraine warMykhailo Drapatyi: Can new Ukraine army chief alter Russia war’s direction?In 2014, a young Drapatyi became an icon for his daredevilry in Mariupol. Crowds of pro-Russian residents rallied nearby, cheering the officers’ deaths.This reporter happened to be close by with a television crew – and barely escaped being clubbed to death by an angry crowd of Moscow sympathisers armed with metal rods.Drapatyi’s drive-through made him an instant YouTube sensation in Ukraine. Weeks later, he led his unit out of a hopeless, lethal encirclement by Russia-backed separatists, losing only one soldier.The now 43-year-old then rose to become the commander of Ukraine’s land forces and then joint forces.
- ▪News|Russia-Ukraine warMykhailo Drapatyi: Can new Ukraine army chief alter Russia war’s direction?In 2014, a young Drapatyi became an icon for his daredevilry in Mariupol.
- ▪Crowds of pro-Russian residents rallied nearby, cheering the officers’ deaths.This reporter happened to be close by with a television crew – and barely escaped being clubbed to death by an angry crowd of Moscow sympathisers armed with metal
- ▪Weeks later, he led his unit out of a hopeless, lethal encirclement by Russia-backed separatists, losing only one soldier.The now 43-year-old then rose to become the commander of Ukraine’s land forces and then joint forces.
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News|Russia-Ukraine warMykhailo Drapatyi: Can new Ukraine army chief alter Russia war’s direction?In 2014, a young Drapatyi became an icon for his daredevilry in Mariupol. Now he is tasked with leading his military to victory.ListenListen (7 mins)SaveClick here to share on social mediashare-nodesSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoNew commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi looks on during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday, July 20, 2026 [Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP]By Mansur MirovalevPublished On 24 Jul 202624 Jul 2026Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian Colonel Mykhailo Drapatyi drove an armoured vehicle at breakneck speed through a barricade built by pro-Russian separatists…
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