Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny arrived for a meeting at the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday to be notified of a dismissal, CNN reported.
No official announcement had been made, so Zaluzhny remained in his post as of Wednesday evening, but a presidential decree is expected by the end of the week.
Rumours of Zaluzhny’s meeting and dismissal emerged in Kyiv on Monday night, exacerbating a rift between the president and his commander-in-chief that stemmed from the failed counter-offensive last summer. Tensions between the two were further escalated after Zaluzhny called the war with Russia a stalemate in a November interview with The Economist.
Presidential spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov told CNN and others on Monday that rumours of the commander-in-chief’s dismissal were untrue, a statement later made by the Ministry of Defence:
Dear journalists, an immediate answer to everyone: No, this is not true.
However, according to one source, at a small meeting in his office on Monday, also attended by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, the president announced that he had “made a decision to dismiss the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.” This information is confirmed in other reports, including those by The Washington Post and the Financial Times.
Zelensky allegedly offered Zaluzhny another position, which he rejected. The president then emphasised that the refusal of the new appointment did not change the fact that the commander-in-chief would be removed from his current position.
A source reported that two candidates are being discussed as his successors: the head of the Defence Intelligence Directorate, General Kyrylo Budanov, and the commander of Ukrainian Land Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Budanov, however, refused in an interview on Tuesday, saying he had no intention of becoming Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief. He also stressed that he would not share information on the subject if he was chosen.
“We are in a war, and all sides are using all available means, including information warfare.”
Although Ukraine’s counter-offensive has not achieved any significant progress in pushing back Russian forces in the south and east of the country, Zaluzhny remains one of the most popular leaders in the country. A poll published by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology in December revealed that 88 per cent of Ukrainians support the top general. Whereas Zelensky’s rating dropped at 62 per cent.
In November, when it was clear that Russia’s deep minefields and overwhelming heavy artillery fire had largely hindered Ukraine’s success in its counter-offensive, Zaluzhny wrote the following in The Economist:
Just like in the First World War we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate. There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough.
Zelensky did not openly criticise Zaluzhny at the time, but stated at a live press conference in December:
“I am waiting for very concrete things on the battlefield. The strategy is clear: We have an understanding of our actions. I want to see details.”
