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After several days of nationwide protests, President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as Ukraine's new commander-in-chief on July 21, prompting outrage among Russian social media users and military bloggers, AzerNEWS reports via Kyiv Independent.

One of the most experienced Ukrainian commanders, Drapatyi has been fighting Russia in Ukraine since 2014. He replaced Oleksandr Syrskyi, whose resignation became one of the key demands of the mass demonstrations that followed the controversial dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had been at odds with the previous commander-in-chief.

Drapatyi's appointment was met with celebration among Ukrainian military personnel and protesters, while Russian social media users contrasted Ukraine's political system with Russia's and warned about the new commander-in-chief, describing him as someone who "hates (Russian soldiers) and hates them consistently."

In the comments sections of social media posts, dozens of anonymous Russian users shared their views on Ukraine's new commander-in-chief.

A user identified by the nickname SV pointed to former commander-in-chief Syrskyi's Russian roots and the fact that some of his relatives still reside in Russia, including his parents, Lyudmila and Stanislav, and his brother Oleg. SV suggested that these connections had restrained some Ukrainian attacks.

"That's it — 'Madyar' (call sign of Robert Brovdi, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Commander) has free rein now. Now it's going to be Armageddon," SV wrote on Telegram.

While some users raised concerns about Drapatyi's character and the potential impact of his leadership on the Ukrainian military, others highlighted that his appointment followed public protests, contrasting them with the lack of similar demonstrations in Russia.

"I envy Ukrainians. These people aren't afraid of a damn thing and take to the streets at the slightest provocation to stop the government from getting too cocky," another anonymous user wrote in a Telegram comment.

"No president would dare shut down the internet or slaughter the cows of the people like that. But we — we just put up with it. We'll swallow anything."