Zelenskiy announces military shakeup, new assignment for commander who resigned

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(Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced a shakeup of Ukraine’s military on Tuesday, including the appointment to a new post of a commander who tendered his resignation over a deadly Russian attack.

Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address after a meeting of top commanders, said the reshuffle sought to ensure that the military remained focused on combat more than three years after Russia’s invasion of its smaller neighbour.

The president said Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, who offered to quit as commander of Ukraine’s land forces over an attack on a training area last weekend, would now serve as the new commander of joint forces.

“Mykhailo Drapatyi will now focus exclusively on combat matters and has been appointed Commander of the Joint Forces so that he can fully dedicate himself to the front line,” Zelenskiy said.

The president said another officer, who he did not identify, would be placed in charge of land forces and responsible “for tasks like training, preparation, changes in the territorial recruitment centres”.

Drapatyi, writing earlier on Facebook, said the president was keeping him in service at the front.

“The president listened, expressed support and encouraged me to focus on the most important things – the war, the front and victory,” he wrote.

Zelenskiy said the appointment of Oleh Apostol as commander of paratroops and Robert Brovdi as commander of unmanned systems had also been approved.

“This is also part of a broader focus on combat matters,” he said. “The successful experience of the best brigades must be scaled across the entire army.”

He said that Vadym Sukharevskyi had been appointed Commander of the Eastern Operational Command with the task of modernising that command. Ihor Skybiuk was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksander Kozhukhar; Editing by Nia Williams)