KYIV — Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has announced Mykhailo Drapaty as the country’s new commander-in-chief, following a political crisis triggered by Zelensky’s surprise ousting of a young modernising defence minister.

The 43-year-old Drapaty replaces Oleksandr Syrsky, 60, an accomplished military strategist but who was long criticised for Soviet-style practices and not caring about human losses.

Here is what we know about Drapaty.

Drapaty is a career military officer trained exclusively inside Ukraine’s independent, post-Soviet system.

He began as a lieutenant and rose through the ranks, shooting to nationwide fame during the war with Russia-backed separatists in 2014.

In a video which went viral, he commanded an infantry vehicle as it smashed through a makeshift barricade set up by pro-Moscow forces in the southern city of Mariupol.

Recalling the incident in an interview with Ukrainian media, Drapaty said his driver asked: “Major, there are barricades ahead. What do we do?”

“I said, ‘Dima, step on the gas’”.

The vehicle, with the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag affixed to its top, then smashes through the tyre-and-barricade wall, leaping into the air and speeding on.

During the fight with Moscow-backed rebels, Drapaty is also credited with re-capturing several settlements from Russian control and then saving his unit from being encircled.

Drapaty has a wife and kids, Ukrainian media reported.