The Guardian
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July 22, 2026 at 17:48 UTC
Mykhailo Drapatyi: Ukrainians hope new commander will end army’s ‘Soviet culture’
Drapatyi has long been a critic of the military’s command culture, but experts warn change could take timeThrough a haze of smoke, a lone Ukrainian armoured vehicle suddenly burst into view. The BMP-2 accelerated towards a barricade of tyres and debris, smashing through it in seconds as protesters scattered.Behind the controls, on the chaotic streets of Mariupol on 9 May 2014, was a little-known officer named Mykhailo Drapatyi. The footage became one of the defining images of Russia’s first...