How does a general who resigned over the deaths of 12 soldiers return a year later to lead Ukraine’s army? Meet Mykhailo Drapatyi, the new commander-in-chief.

Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed General Mykhailo Drapatyi as Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief.

He replaces General Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom Zelensky dismissed at the height of a political crisis: Mykhailo Fedorov, who had also been dismissed as defense minister days earlier, had accused Syrskyi of scheming and blocking military reforms.

Protests in support of Fedorov broke out in Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, and demonstrators demanded Syrskyi’s removal as well.

Ukrainian journalist Kostiantyn Skorkin explains who Drapatyi is and why his appointment is not simply a concession to the protesters. ...