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In a major shake-up of the Ukrainian military amid the ongoing war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy removed his top general, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, on Thursday after weeks of feverish speculation about his fate, the New York Times reported.
"Today, a decision was made to change the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov wrote in a post on Facebook. "War does not remain the same. War changes and requires changes," he added. Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a statement on social media saying he had met with the general and "thanked him for the two years of defending Ukraine." Notably, the upheaval comes at a precarious moment for Ukraine in the war, amid intensified Russian attacks, skepticism in the United States over providing aid to Kyiv and the tensions between Ukraine's civilian and military leadership. But it has remained unclear whether the commander, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, who is widely popular in Ukraine's military and society, had resigned or been fired from the position. Gen. Zaluzhny led Ukraine's war effort from the initial, successful defence against Russia's attack through the past year of bloody, inconclusive fighting. Zelenskyy said in his statement that he and the general "discussed the renewal that the Armed Forces of Ukraine require. We also discussed who could be part of the renewed leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the New York Times reported. He further said he proposed that General Zaluzhny "remain part of the team," adding that, "We will definitely win! Glory to Ukraine!" Rumors had begun circulating online in Ukraine last week that General Zaluzhny (50) had been dismissed, prompting the president's office to issue a denial. A Ukrainian member of Parliament said the two met on January 29 but the fate of the country's top military commander was not decided. Two Ukrainian officials claimed that Zelenskyy's government was planning to dismiss the general all along. The decision was backed off briefly after the news was leaked and generated backlash from some Ukrainian political leaders and soldiers, as reported by NYT. Notably, friction between the president and general had simmered since early in the war. The schism deepened last fall, when General Zaluzhny published an essay declaring the fighting a 'deadlock', contradicting Zelensky's continual, hopeful assertions of progress. More recently, the two had publicly disagreed over a Ukrainian plan to draft as many as half a million men to replenish the army as a counter to Russia's renewed ground attacks in the eastern Donbas region. Ukrainian forces have in recent weeks been on the defensive as Russia launches fierce assaults along the front line. Kyiv did receive a boost to its war effort last week when the European Union approved a USD 54 billion aid package that will help avert a near-term Ukrainian financial crisis. However, US lawmakers this week have been unable to forge an agreement that would provide another USD 60 billion in aid to Ukraine, assistance that Ukrainian officials and military analysts deem critical to Kyiv's war effort. Zelensky's frustration with his top general burst into the public eye in early November, after General Zaluzhny published his essay calling the war a "stalemate." In a strong rebuke, the Ukrainian president said that the comment was helpful to the Russians. Criticism against General Zaluzhny reached a new level in late November, when Mariana Bezuhla, a lawmaker and former member of Zelensky's political party, appeared to call for the commander's departure, accusing him of "failing" to plan carefully for the next stage of the war. Opinion polls had consistently ranked the president and general as the most trusted figures in Ukraine during the war. But, through the fall, Zelensky's ratings had fallen while General Zaluzhny had retained consistently high levels of support. As per NYT, General Zaluzhny's high standing with the Ukrainian public even led to speculation that he could be a prospective challenger to Zelensky in future elections, prompting some in the country to regard them as political rivals. The military leader earned the nickname "Iron General" for his decisive leadership of the army during the war. But the general was also saddled with the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south this summer -- a push that many in Ukraine and the West had hoped could split Russian troops and show that Ukraine was making steady gains in the war. Last November, General Zaluzhny said in an essay that unless Ukraine received more advanced weapons and technology, the country would be mired in a long war in which Russia would have the upper hand, the New York Times reported. (ANI)
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