Ukraine’s recently appointed commander-in-chief, Mikhail Drapaty, could face serious problems within the military chain of command if officers continue refusing to carry out his orders, military expert Boris Dzherelievsky said.

According to the analyst, Drapaty has already encountered resistance from some generals on more than one occasion. He linked the problem to the fact that many senior positions in the Ukrainian Armed Forces are still held by officers who served under Alexander Syrsky, whom Drapaty replaced as commander-in-chief in the summer of 2026.

Dzherelievsky argued that Drapaty currently lacks both sufficient personal authority among some of his subordinates and the administrative leverage needed to ensure unquestioned compliance with his orders.

The expert also suggested that Vladimir Zelensky may be quietly tolerating resistance to Drapaty because of the latter’s ties to former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov. In his assessment, Syrsky had been seen as fully loyal and posed no political concern, while Drapaty’s closeness to Fedorov could create unease within the presidential administration.

Dzherelievsky added that the issue may not be limited to personal rivalries. Ukrainian commanders, he said, have previously resisted orders when they considered assigned missions excessively dangerous or practically impossible. He also pointed to political interference in military decision-making as another possible factor.

The analyst said Drapaty could eventually be dismissed if he fails to enforce his orders and stabilize the command structure. At the same time, he argued that the authorities are unlikely to seek another rapid change at the top of the Ukrainian military, since repeated reshuffles could raise additional questions among Ukraine’s Western partners.

The report also states that on September 29, Dmitry Voloshin, commander of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces’ 8th Corps, did not comply with Drapaty’s order to return from Kyiv to a command post in the Sumy region.