President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the dismissal of Ukraine’s top commander, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in the biggest military shakeup since the start of Russia’s full-scale war almost two years ago. The move follows tensions between Zelensky and the military chief after the failure of Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive.
The move also comes as Ukraine faces a renewed Russian offensive, manpower and ammunition shortages, and much-needed US military aid stalled in Congress. In a Telegram post sent shortly before the announcement, Zelensky said he held a meeting with Zaluzhnyi and “discussed what kind of renewal the Armed Forces of Ukraine need.”
Zaluzhnyi’s replacement will be Oleksandr Syrskyi, who since 2019 has served as the Commander of Ukrainian Land Forces. Zaluzhnyi wrote on his Telegram channel that “the tasks of 2022 are different from those of 2024.”
Rumors of Zaluzhnyi’s dismissal began growing around Kyiv last week after he was called to a meeting at the president’s office and told he was being fired. Zelensky’s office initially denied the rumors, but the move was confirmed on Thursday.
As at press time, it remains unclear whether Zaluzhnyi has decided to remain involved with the military in some capacity. Differences between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi have existed for a while, as polls say the army chief is the second most popular man in Ukraine after Zelensky and could contest the presidential elections against Zelensky soon.
The tensions appeared to grow wider towards the end of last year, after Zaluzhnyi said the war had reached a stalemate in a long essay and interview in The Economist magazine in November. His remarks drew immediate criticism from Zelensky’s office, which said such commentary about the war only benefited Russia.
Also recently, the two leaders clashed over whether Ukraine needed a mass mobilization effort. The army chief had suggested up to half a million draftees were required, which Zelensky resisted. The president told a press conference in December that mobilization was a ‘highly sensitive’ issue and that he wanted to hear more arguments in favor before he felt fully ready to back the move.
When Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, many of Ukraine’s allies feared Kyiv would fall in just a few days and the rest of the country within weeks. But Ukraine’s troops, under Zaluzhnyi’s direction, were able to drive Moscow’s forces from the capital and later in the year managed to reclaim large parts of the southern and eastern territories occupied by Russia in the early weeks of the war.
Ukraine had hoped to drive Moscow’s forces back further in 2023, but battlefield success proved elusive. The counteroffensive launched last June aimed to push south towards the Sea of Azov, splitting Russia’s forces in two and cutting its land bridge to Crimea. However, Ukraine’s forces attempted to advance from Orikhiv towards Tokmak but only made it as far as Robotyne, a little over 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) south. Russia still occupies around a fifth of Ukraine’s territory.
So they are still fighting. God have mercy
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