KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a sweeping reshuffle of the country’s military leadership just days after Ukraine claimed responsibility for a damaging underwater attack on the strategic Kerch Bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula.
A series of presidential decrees, published Tuesday on the Presidential Office’s website, confirmed several high-profile changes within Ukraine’s armed forces. Among them, Lieutenant General Mykhailo Drapatyi was appointed as the new commander of Ukraine’s Joint Forces, stepping down from his previous role as commander of the Land Forces. Drapatyi had earlier submitted his resignation following a deadly Russian missile strike on a training center in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which reportedly killed 12 Ukrainian servicemen and injured over 60.
In another key change, President Zelenskyy appointed Robert Brovdi as the new head of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, replacing Vadym Sukharevskyi, who had held the post since its creation in June 2023. Brovdi will now lead Ukraine’s rapidly evolving drone warfare capabilities.
Zelenskyy also dismissed Ihor Skybiuk as commander of the Air Assault Forces, naming Oleh Apostol — who has served as deputy commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces since November — as his replacement. Additionally, Oleksandr Bilous was relieved of his duties as deputy commander of the National Guard. The decrees offered no explanations for the dismissals.
In a televised address later that evening, Zelenskyy explained that the changes were aimed at streamlining command structures and improving front-line efficiency. He said Drapatyi’s new role would allow him to focus entirely on combat operations. “As for the Land Forces system — training, preparation, reforms in recruitment centers — another person will take on those tasks,” Zelenskyy added, without naming a successor.
The reshuffle comes shortly after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed responsibility for a bold underwater sabotage operation that reportedly damaged the Kerch Bridge. In a statement on Telegram, the SBU said the mission had been months in the making.
“SBU agents mined the pillars of this illegal structure. And today, at 4:44 a.m., the first explosive device was detonated — with no civilian casualties,” the statement read.
Ukrainian intelligence claimed the underwater supports of the bridge were severely damaged using the equivalent of 1,100 kg of TNT. According to the SBU, the bridge is now beyond repair.
The agency said the operation was personally overseen by SBU chief Lieutenant General Vasyl Malysh, while the head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, coordinated planning and execution of the mission.
The Kerch Bridge, a critical supply route for Russian forces in Crimea, has been a symbolic and strategic target for Ukraine since the start of the war. This latest attack marks a significant escalation in Ukraine’s campaign to disrupt Russian logistics and reassert pressure on the annexed peninsula.
