Strana 28
resistance from more conservative generals,
and he became involved in an open dispute with
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of
the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Such a dispute
is certainly unhealthy even in peacetime, let
alone during a war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided
to resolve the situation by dismissing
Fedorov as defense minister. Despite the
war, demonstrators took to the streets of
Ukrainian cities in support of him. Zelenskyy
was ultimately forced to dismiss Syrskyi as
well. He offered Fedorov another position in
the government, but Fedorov rejected it, and
the political dispute continued.
The only positive aspect of this situation
is that Mykhailo Drapatyi became the new
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
He is a relatively young officer (43 years
old) who has been fighting on the front since
2014. He therefore has enormous first-hand
experience and is not burdened by the Soviet
military school of thought. Russian channels
immediately began recalling his role in the
fighting for Mariupol in 2014, when, as an
infantry fighting vehicle commander, he was
the first to break through the barricades at full
speed, with other Ukrainian vehicles following
behind him. There is a general consensus on
Russian military channels that Drapatyi’s
appointment is very bad news for Russia.
Ukrainian Attacks
During the period under review, the
Ukrainians also continued their attacks on oil
refineries and had already knocked out more
than 40 percent of Russia’s fuel-processing
capacity. Refineries in Omsk and Syzran, for
example, were hit. Moscow was forced to begin
importing gasoline from abroad, including
Kazakhstan and India.
Wildberries logistics centers are easy targets for Ukrainian drones — they are not protected in any way, they are not designed to withstand strikes, and fires there cause
enormous economic damage.
An ammunition depot explosion in the Vyshneve district of Kyiv.
AIR WAR IN UKRAINE
INFO Eduard28
September 2026