"I will work responsibly, with focus and with respect for the people defending our state today," Drapatyi said.
He acknowledged his predecessor's years of service.
Before his dismissal, Syrskyi defended his tenure. He rejected claims that he opposed modern tactics or drone adoption.
"If I offended anyone, Mykhailo Albertovych, I'm sorry," Syrskyi said. He warned against rapid, untested structural experiments during active warfare.
"I can't switch a million-people army to drones in two months and say, 'Now this is how we're going to fight,'" Syrskyi said.
He emphasized that military operations demand rigorous planning. "Decisions on which people's lives depend are not made with slogans."
Syrskyi stressed that structural reforms require thorough preparation. "Behind each slide there should be a document, a budget and a procedure," he said.
Reflecting on the conflict, he added, "The frontline is my life."
Fedorov welcomed the command change as a vital shift toward modernization and troop safety.
"This is a new wind and a new hope in the struggle of free people for freedom and justice," he said.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow does not expect the leadership changes to alter battlefield dynamics.
