MOSCOW, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia has placed Mykhailo Drapatyi, the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, on its wanted list, according to the Russian Interior Ministry's database, which was updated on Tuesday.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, new commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi looks on during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 20, 2026. (Photo: AP)

The move came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Drapatyi's appointment to replace Oleksandr Syrsky as the country's top military commander.

The Russian Investigative Committee said it had previously filed criminal charges against Drapatyi, accusing him of commanding the Joint Forces Operation between 2017 and 2019, during which Ukrainian forces allegedly carried out shelling attacks on settlements in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions that resulted in 154 people being killed or injured.

Drapatyi previously served as the commander of Ukraine's Land Forces and the commander of the Joint Forces.