IZYUM, Ukraine - Ukrainian soldiers and civilians told AFP on Wednesday they welcomed the appointment of Mykhailo Drapaty as the new army commander in the fifth year of Russia's invasion, and they were still hoping for the return of a popular defence minister.
The surprise replacement of reformist minister Mykhailo Fedorov last week brought several thousand people to the streets demanding his reinstatement and the removal of army chief Oleksandr Syrsky.