LUGANSK, July 23. /TASS/. Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief, Mikhail Drapaty, was involved in the Kiev regime's crimes in Donbass in 2014, so it's not outlandish to say that he could continue to seek the genocide of Russian-speaking peoples in his new role, military expert Andrey Marochko believes.

"Drapaty may introduce the practices he carried out back in 2014. That is, regarding his combat experience, he is that general who served in the hot spots in Donbass and, naturally, was involved in bloody crimes, which indicates that our residents will be subjected to genocide by Ukraine in the same way. <…> Being an official representative of the People's Militia [of the LPR], I have repeatedly exposed the crimes he committed while the Minsk agreements were in effect. So, nothing good should be expected from him. And, naturally, no radical changes, especially towards peace, should be expected from him," the expert said.

Marochko is adamant that nothing will change on the line of engagement with the appointment of Drapaty as the Ukrainian army’s commander-in-chief. "Because the tactical situation along the entire line of contact is very difficult for the enemy," noted the military expert.

On July 14, Mikhail Fyodorov was removed as Ukrainian defense minister, partly due to infighting with the commander-in-chief, Alexander Syrsky. On July 16, protest rallies against Fyodorov's dismissal started in Ukrainian cities. The protesters gradually began to demand not only the return of Fyodorov, but also the dismissal of Syrsky.

On July 22, Zelensky officially fired Syrsky and appointed Drapaty in his place. He also issued decrees to dismiss Chief of the Ukrainian General Staff Andrey Gnatov and appointed Igor Skibyuk to replace him. This wasn't lawful though: by law, Zelensky can appoint a new commander-in-chief only upon the recommendation of the current defense minister, and that post is still vacant. After Fyodorov was removed as defense minister, Yevgeny Khmara was named acting minister. In turn, the Verkhovna Rada (parliament), which is on recess until August 18 and has not yet announced any extraordinary meetings, is yet to approve the appointment of the defense minister.