On July 21 (local time), according to Xinhua news agency, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs updated the wanted database and put Mr. Mykhailo Drapatyi - the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - on the wanted list.
This move comes just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the decision to appoint Mr. Drapatyi to replace Mr. Oleksandr Syrsky, holding the position of Commander-in-Chief of the army.
According to data from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Drapatyi's name has officially appeared in the list of wanted individuals. However, this agency did not disclose further details about the arrest warrant as well as related legal measures.
Previously, the Russian Investigative Committee said that it had criminally prosecuted Mr. Drapatyi. This agency accused him of commanding the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation in the period 2017 - 2019, when the Ukrainian army conducted many military operations in the eastern region.
According to the Russian side, during Mr. Drapatyi's command, shelling targeting residential areas in Donetsk and Lugansk killed or injured 154 people. This is the basis for Moscow to make criminal accusations against this person.
On the Ukrainian side, there has been no official response regarding Russia's inclusion of Mr. Drapatyi on the wanted list.
Mr. Mykhailo Drapatyi is one of the senior military commanders of Ukraine. Before being appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he served as Commander of the Army and Commander of the Joint Forces.
Russia's issuance of an arrest warrant for Mr. Drapatyi takes place in the context of the continued tension between Russia and Ukraine, and also reflects the legal measures that Moscow has applied to many high-ranking Kiev officials and military commanders in recent times.
