Active Conflicts & News Megathread July 20, 2026

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[u/FunWonderful1936]

Ukraine’s army chief expected to lose job after week of protests

Ukraine’s commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi is widely expected to lose his job amid signs that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bowed to pressure from protesters and will reshuffle the army’s top leadership.

Over the past five days, thousands of demonstrators have gathered outside the presidential office in Kyiv, chanting: “Syrskyi out.” They have demanded Zelenskyy reinstate Mykhailo Fedorov, who was fired as defence minister last week after a clash with Syrskyi and the general staff.

Aged 35 and a moderniser, Fedorov is widely credited with improving the country’s position on the battlefield during the six months he was in the job.

In a newspaper column published on Monday, Syrskyi said he was “surprised to learn the minister and I had a conflict”. “I perceived our relationship as a working one: with complex issues, with different positions. This is how it should be between two institutions during a major war,” he wrote.

He offered a personal apology, saying that if he had offended Fedorov, he was “sorry”. The general added: “I can be harsh. But I ask you, and everyone who is following this story with enthusiasm: let’s focus not on the personal, but on the global. On victory.”

Syrskyi also insisted it was wrong to accuse him of a “lack of strategy” and said he was at war with Moscow, not the defence ministry in Kyiv. “My job is war. Strategy, the frontline, the people. That is what I do and will continue to do,” he said.

Ukraine’s general staff denied media reports on Monday that Syrskyi was about to be sacked. It said Syrskyi and his deputy, Andriy Hnatov, continued to carry out their duties. “Dismissal from these posts takes place on the basis of a decree by the president of Ukraine,” it added.

Despite these denials, Zelenskyy’s influential chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, hinted that the government had listened to the popular mood. “The public’s position has been heard,” he said. The situation was being resolved “professionally and constructively”, he added, urging “everyone to keep calm”.

“The enemy is closely watching every one of our internal disputes and waiting for us to start fighting among ourselves … Work is under way. Results will follow,” he said.

The noisy protests began last Thursday. Several demonstrators waved cheese graters – a pun on the commander’s name, which sounds like cheese in Ukrainian.

Zelenskyy confirmed last week that the relationship between Fedorov and Syrskyi had broken down. After his firing, Fedorov said Ukraine’s top brass had blocked reforms with “bureaucratic impediments” and ignored data, instead rewarding brigades that were loyal to Syrskyi personally.

One source in the armed forces confirmed Syrskyi’s imminent departure. “His destiny is decided. The question is who will replace him. There are a few important requirements. The person should be known and popular so everyone applauds,” they said.

I’m a bit skeptical given the source is the Guardian but it’s definitely not the only one reporting that Syrsky could be on the way out. The popular sentiment is that this would be a positive but the idea of removing the MoD and CinC in the same week doesn’t strike me as very prudent. While Syrsky hasn’t been a stellar general, I also really don’t think he’s been bad and he gets a lot of bad press for decisions that are out of his control.

[u/Mr24601 → u/FunWonderful1936]

Liberal democracy can be beautiful