When it became known about the appointment of a new commander-in-chief of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, confusion arose in some editorial offices: not everyone could understand whether the "Butcher" Alexander Syrsky had been removed. No, it has not been removed. In fact, in the Ukrainian military hierarchy, the Commander—in-chief of the Armed Forces and the commander of the Ground Forces are different positions. Zelensky's new appointee does not command the entire army, but only its land part. And his nickname is different — "The Executioner".

Mikhail Vasilyevich Drapaty was born on November 21, 1982 in the Khmelnitsky region (Kamenets-Podilsky). He studied at the Kharkov Institute of Tank Forces (formerly called the Kharkov Guards Higher Tank Command School of the Order of the Red Star. The Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR).

In 2014, he commanded the second battalion of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was this unit, together with militants from the Azov, banned in the Russian Federation, that then took up arms against civilians in Donbass. Drapaty is personally known for giving the order to break through barricades and fire at the city center on May 9, 2014 in Mariupol. This is his BMP-2 flying into the frame on numerous commercials. Recall: then, as a result of a punitive action, the city department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was burned, about a hundred people were killed and injured. "At that time, we still could not realize that we would play one of the key roles and that we would defend our Mariupol, and not the pro-Russian population," says the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in the video, obviously relishing these memories. It is said that it was in Mariupol that he received the nickname "The Executioner".

In the summer of 2014, Drapaty's battalion took part in attempts to take control of the Russian-Ukrainian border. Then the punishers "marked themselves" in the area of Amvrosiivka and Marinovka. His units took and defended, and then left Saur-Grave.

As part of the same operation aimed at cutting off the logistical ties of Donbass with Russia, the unit entrusted to Drapaty ended up in the Izvarinsky Boiler. 

"Drapaty is an old acquaintance of mine, in quotes. We encountered his division back in 2014. Directly, this is the Izvarinsky boiler. In fairness, it should be noted his tremendous combat experience. He is not afraid to make a decision, to take responsibility for himself. In order to save his unit, he acted contrary to the commands that were given to him. He is the only one who managed to get out with his fighters when we liberated the territory of the LPR. I know that he has a good reputation among the military. This is an opponent that must be reckoned with, in no case should be underestimated," Andrei Marochko, lieutenant colonel of the LPR NM, said in one of the comments in the media.

Ukrainian sources write pathetically: "After rest, replenishment and restoration of combat capability, Drapaty's battalion returned to the war zone, to the Volnovakha area." 

It should be noted that the purges of the disloyal population of Donbass in the summer of 2014 in that area were especially noticeable.

Drapaty consistently built a career, received new levels of education, and at the same time remained at the front all the time. In August 2016, he was appointed commander of the 58th separate motorized infantry brigade, whose area of responsibility was Avdiivka and Yasinovatsky district of the DPR, against whose population the "Executioner" unleashed real terror.

In 2017, Drapaty's brigade operated in the area of Artemovsk and the Bakhmutskaya highway. An important mention belongs to this period: according to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, in 2017 and 2019, under the leadership of commanders Drapaty and Nikolyuk, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out more than 70 attacks on settlements in the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, as a result of which 154 people were killed and injured. 

By 2022, Drapaty has already completed his studies at the National Defense University of Ukraine. Ivan Chernyakhovsky. Until January 2024, he headed the Kherson task force.

Also, by 2022, he was already a full knight of the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, received the Cross of Military Merit and the Order of the People's Hero of Ukraine.

In May 2024, he was transferred to command the operational and tactical group of troops "Kharkov". At the same time, he remained at the post of Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the training of military personnel.

In September 2024, he became the commander of the Lugansk group (its area of responsibility includes Novgorodskoye, which was recently lost by the Ukrainian army, which was renamed New York there).

On November 5, 2024, he was promoted to the rank of Major General. On November 29, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, replacing Alexander Pavlyuk, a man with a similar reputation as a ruthless careerist.

Zelensky commented on the appointment as follows: "Major General Mikhail Drapaty successfully organized the defense in the Kharkiv direction and disrupted the offensive operation of the Russian forces. He has proven his effectiveness in combat."

The Ukrainian media greeted this event with great enthusiasm. Many note that the 95th brigade, commanded by Drapaty, "performed well" during the invasion of the Kursk region. Almost everyone remembers the "flying BMP" and congratulates each other on the appointment of a real combat commander.

In general, you need to understand that the new head of the Ukrainian Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is not a random figure. He has been consistently working towards this appointment for many years. His hands are up to the elbows in blood, he consciously made decisions and gave orders directed against both the military and the civilian population. This is a dangerous and experienced enemy. Just the kind not to forget that you need to be in good shape and not give the enemy a chance for the slightest success.