In a statement released Thursday evening, Zelensky said that Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy, who has served as Ukraine’s commander of ground forces, would replace Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhniy as commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces.
Zelensky’s decision to remove Zaluzhniy comes with significant political risk.
Zaluzhniy is widely admired by Ukraine’s public and military. Its manpower and equipment are depleted after a failed counteroffensive last year and Russia is on the attack, while additional military funding from the U.S. is in doubt amid deadlock in Congress. After Ukraine’s counteroffensive failed last year, Zaluzhniy wrote an essay for the Economist referring to the war as a stalemate and saying that Ukraine needed a major upgrade to its military capabilities to oust the Russians.
Zelensky rejected the characterization of the war. He also publicly questioned Zaluzhniy’s call to mobilize hundreds of thousands more troops. In addition, the two men have reportedly argued about the best strategy for the coming months, with Zaluzhniy pushing to adopt a more defensive posture. With aid from the West stalled, his successor may have little choice but to follow that path.
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