Hello everybody!

Now for the next drama in the War in Ukraine: the ‘situation’ caused by Major-General Mikhailo Drapaty, Commander, Ukrainian Ground Forces (i.e. 'Ukrainian Army'), submitting his resignation, the last weekend.

Before I go on, the usual disclaimer: I’m far from thinking I know all the ‘inner makings’ of the Ukrainian government and the top of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (ZSU). About relations between top figures there. About how the ‘things really work’ there in Kyiv. Rather than that, the following is based on ‘months/years-worth’ of patiently listening to what very different people who have to deal with the ‘system Kyiv’ (i.e. that governemnt, and the top of the ZSU) say. I’m tending to 'simplify’ things: after all, even if running a blog, I do not have ‘all the time of the world’ to explain every single detail. And I’m never going to reveal anything at all about my sources.

Finally, and as everybody must know by now, I’m unprofessional.

Therefore, consider the following something like ‘compendium of hear-say’.

(I do hope, that’s going to make you feel a lot better after reading this.)

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As far as I know, Drapaty explained his resignation with assuming personal responsibility for the death of 10, and injury of 60 Ukrainian troops, hit by a Russian Iskander ballistic missile while on the training ground in the Sumy Oblast, about 40km from the border to Russia.

On 19 or 20 May this year, a super-smart CO of a training centre in the Sumy Oblast, about 40 kilometres from the Russian border, ordered ‘his’ troops to go out for training bunched together like this. What a surprise, the scene was observed by a Russian UAV, as obvious from this video-still..

The consequences were lethal…

As far as I know, actually, Drapaty is frustrated because his orders are continuously countermanded by his superior, the General of Fantastic news, the Glavcom (Commander, Ukrainian Armed Forces/ZSU), Syrsky.

As far as I know, Drapaty’s resignation has not yet been accepted - or at least not yet accepted as of 22.00-23.00hrs the last night - but: is very much looked forward for by Syrsky & Buddies (Ukrainian General Staff).

...because, you know, Drapaty is nothing but trouble.

Picture this:

- Drapaty, that son of a gun, dared ordering a reform of the training system of the ZSU. Instead of each of 30+ training centres training recruits in different fashion (and, roughly, 50% of these centres not training recruits at all, but excelling in their commanders stealing even food), he wants them all to train recruits to exactly the same standard. Correspondingly, he began inspecting these in person, and sacking Syrsky’s incompetent buddies.

Simply incredible...

- Drapaty also initiated the reorganisation of the command structure of the ZSU: sidelining all the incompetents appointed by Syrsky & Buddies to do nothing while 'commanding' diverse 'strategic' and 'tactical' groups of forces, he began groupping similarly-trained brigades into corpses, and appointing proven brigade commanders as their commanders.

Nothing but outrageous...

- Drapaty stopped Syrsky's practice of disintegrating brigades by detaching their battalions and re-deploying these to entirely different sectors, to patch the frontline.

How could he dare...

- Whenever Drapty - and that's really shameful, nothing else - assumed command over one or another sector of the frontline, the Russian advance was stopped cold. And versa vice: whenever he stopped doing that, the Russian advance resumed.

Disgusting, isn't it...

...but wait: you know what's the best about this all?

The decision about Drapaty's fate is now going to be taken by the Ukrainian social media.

Come on, stop rubbing your eyes: it's no typo or else, but simple truth.

In Kyiv, the last word is not on Syrsky, not on Zelensky - but on Zelensky's 'Presidential Advisor', Yermak, without whom Zelensky can't tie his shoe laces. And, well, Yermak's way of bringing such decisions is simple: either he appoints one of his favourites (including family members), or monitors the social media for a few days, before deciding. If the social media is in favour of one decision, then he orders Zelensky to act that way; and, if the social media is - for example - against Drapaty, then Drapaty's resignation is going to be accepted.

...which is also the reason why it's taking days for 'official Kyiv' to 'decide': Yermak needs a few days to, literally, 'collect the data'.

I could now go on with describing ‘impressions’ - foremost: massive amounts of frustration - of diverse brigade- and battalion commanders of the ZSU expressed in regards of super-incompetent Syrsky & Buddies driving Drapaty into submitting his resigation. With adding that some think, if Drapaty falls, all hope is lost. But, I do not intend to make you desperate.

Besides, I’m in disagreement with such voices: no, Syrsky & Buddies are no ‘Soviet-style officers’. Especially in Stalin’s times, the ‘Cheka’* officers would’ve ‘taken them to the train station’ already long ago…

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How, you think the Ukrainian political top lacks vision, strategy, a plan - indeed: the knowledge, skill and expertise - for how to fight this war, and whom to appoint where?

You're wrong.

They know better...

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* ‘Cheka’ was the colloquial abreviation for Soviet secret security service, notorious for liquidating thousands of ‘class enemies’, back in the eary 1920s.

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This text is published with the permission of the author. First published here.