# Ukraine's ‘legendary’ new commander takes charge after biggest military shake-up of war

An episode of [Ukraine: The Latest](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1612424182), 22 Jul 2026, 40 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6583012e715d5300169dcdcb/e/6a61065c5092e5d571c32312/media.mp3

Day 1,608. Today, in another historic day for the war, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi is replaced with one of the most famous generals in Ukraine: Mykhailo Drapatyi, a popular and innovative military leader with a remarkable backstory. We bring together a frontline Ukrainian drone pilot and two leading experts to hear what really happened in the past 72 hours, what this means for the conflict, and the likely strategy Kyiv will adopt as the war enters the next phase. Contributors: Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X. Dr Jade McGlynn (Centre for Statecraft and National Security, King's College London) Special thanks to Dr Jack Watling – Senior Research Fellow for Applied Military Sciences at the Royal United Services Institute – and Dimko Zhluktenko, best known as a drone pilot in the 413th Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces. Producer: Alexis Adimora Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan Social Producer: Tom Steed Studio Director: Meghan Searle Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley Created by David Knowles NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE: Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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