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‼️Zelenskyy removes Oleksandr Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief, appoints Mykhailo Drapatyi, after a week of protests

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From World of Gold ·  Follow Posted by  Elena Gold   18h After a weeks of public protests demanding reinstatement of the dismissed defense minister Fedorov and removal of the chief commander General Syrskyi—and several days of consultations with top generals of Ukraine’s defense forces, Zelenskyy made the decision to replace commander Syrskyi with General Mykhailo Drapatyi. Drapatyi’s appointnent as the Commander-in-Chief was another request often voiced by the protestors. 43-year-old General Drapatyi was previously the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (since 3 June 2025). Before that position, he was the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces (2024—2025). Drapaty was the hero of fighting for Mariupol back in 2014—when the Russians initially invaded the city, but had been pushed out by the Ukrainian forces. It was under his command a battalion of the 72nd Brigade rammed through barricades in Mariupol on May 9, 2014. Drapatyi rose through r...

Ukraine’s Battle-Tested Drone Boats to Be Made in U.S. for the First Time

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Manufacturing deal could be start of a bigger move to share weaponry Ukraine has honed during its war with Russia By Shelby Holliday and Alistair Macdonald   The Wall Street Journal Updated July 21, 2026 3:48 pm ET A Magura sea drone, a kamikaze-type drone that Ukraine has used to hit warships and infrastructure. Efrem Lukatsky/ AP   Quick Summary -- Portland-based ReconCraft and Ukrainian company Uforce signed a deal to manufacture Ukrainian-designed Magura drone boats in the U.S. View more   -- The teaming agreement aims to produce hundreds or even thousands of the 25-foot-long unmanned speedboats annually in Oregon and South Carolina. -- The deal comes as the Pentagon seeks to expand its arsenal of lower-cost autonomous weapons that have been battle-tested in Ukraine. JB: This summary was generated with AI and reviewed by an editor.  Suggestion: Read more (JB - myself included) about how we use (should use) "artificial"  intelligence in our journalism &...

Zelensky Removes Ukraine’s Armed-Forces Chief After Days of Street Protests

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Decision follows discussions with military commanders over war’s direction By Anastasiia Malenko  The Wall Street Journal  July 21, 2026 4:18 pm ET Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy valentyn ogirenko/ Reuters Quick Summary -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the country’s armed-forces chief, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy. -- Zelensky appointed Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatiy to replace Syrskiy as the head of Ukraine’s armed forces. -- Syrskiy’s ouster follows protests over his handling of the conflict and anger over the dismissal of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. *** -- JB :   See also:  The Ukrainian General at the Root of the Latest Protests Against Zelensky, ( The Wall Street Journal , July 20) *** Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the country’s armed-forces chief following protests over both Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy’s handling of the conflict with Russia and Zelensky’s earlier ouster of a defense minister associated with the country’s growing prowess ...

Ukraine is teaching Russia a lesson. The U.S. should take notes.

Ukrainian drones and rockets have punished underprotected Russian assets on Crimea. Today at 7:00 a.m. EDT  By Brady Africk  The Washington Post Original article containes links Brady Africk is a research analyst specializing in open-source intelligence at the American  Enterprise Institute .   Ukraine is ratcheting up the tempo of drone strikes pummeling Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014. Russia has tried to shield its most valuable military assets by hardening aircraft shelters and beefing up air-defense systems, but it has already paid a steep price. Kyiv’s drones continue to punish critical infrastructure, and the fear of losing more expensive assets has pushed Russian ships and planes farther away from the front. Thanks to Ukraine’s innovative campaign, U.S. military leaders have a rare chance to absorb battlefield lessons without taking casualties or losing pricey hardware. They should seize the opportunity to learn fro...

Ukraine bombs warehouses, targeting Wildberries — Russia’s version of Amazon

Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks, including strikes this weekend on e-commerce warehouses, have undercut the Kremlin’s efforts to shield most Russian citizens from the war. July 20, 2026 at 2:22 p.m. EDT  People walk past the smoke of a fire at the Russian e-commerce firm Wildberries' logistics complex in Elektrostal, Russia, on Saturday. (Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP/Getty Images) By Mary Ilyushina and Natalia Abbakumova   The Washington Post July 20, 2026 at 2:22 p.m.   As Russia and Ukraine traded heavy airstrikes this weekend, Ukrainian forces hit warehouses run by Wildberries, Russia’s largest e-commerce marketplace, sparking a fire that raged for two days and was visible in satellite imagery from space.   The Saturday night strikes hit two large Wildberries warehouses in central Russia — in Elektrostal near Moscow and Kotovsk in the Tambov region. At least eight people were killed and more than 80 injured. In footage posted on social media, both facilities appeared...