The president of Ukraine has fired the top military leader, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
There are rumors that the president and Gen Zaluzhnyi, who has been leading Ukraine’s war, are not getting along.
Experienced Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi was chosen to replace someone by the president’s order.
This is the most significant change in Ukraine’s military leadership since Russia invaded in February 2022.
President Zelensky said that the top leaders of the military should be replaced, and that Gen Zaluzhnyi could still be part of the team.
“From today, a new group will lead the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” he announced on Thursday.
General Zaluzhnyi is well-liked by Ukrainian soldiers and the public. He is seen as a hero in the country.
His recent ratings have been better than Mr Zelensky’s.
The president talked openly with Gen Zaluzhnyi about the army’s changes, and thanked him for defending Ukraine from Russia.
The new army leader, Gen Syrskyi, knows how to fight in both defense and attack, according to Mr.
He defended the city of Kyiv, which is the capital of Ukraine, when Russia attacked in 2022.
He planned and led Ukraine’s unexpected and successful attack in Kharkiv. He is now in charge of military operations in eastern Ukraine, which is a big part of Ukraine’s counter-attack.
“We need to make this year very important,” said Mr.
“Very important for Ukraine to reach its goals in the war. ” Russia cannot agree to Ukraine being independent because it goes against our country’s independence.
He said he is changing the army’s leaders, and it’s not about last names or politics. It’s about managing Ukraine’s armed forces and having experienced commanders.
The military needs to use more advanced technology in their actions. “We need to change the leadership,” he said.
Mr Zelensky said he wants a clear plan for the military this year, considering the actual situation of the war with Russia. He said we need to change how we manage, recruit, and mobilize people in the frontline.
Mykhailo Podolyak, who helps the president, said it was necessary to change the tactics used in Ukraine’s counter-attack last year.
He repeated what Mr. Zelensky said about stopping the frontline from staying the same and finding advanced solutions.
The announcement has received different opinions, with some opposition MPs being the first to criticize the changes.
Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko thanked Gen Zaluzhnyi for helping Ukraine and said he hoped the government would make good decisions.
Oleksii Honcharenko, a member of the opposition party led by former President Petro Poroshenko, thinks that the president made a big mistake. He said doing it would be dangerous for the country, and we will all have to deal with the consequences.
Another MP from the Batkivschina party, Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, said that we need to help and support the military leaders during the war instead of criticizing them.
Ukraine’s defense minister, Rustem Umerov, said thank you to Gen Zaluzhnyi in a statement.
However, war changes over time. War makes things different and requires things to be different. The fights in 2022, 2023 and 2024 are all separate. In 2024, there will be new changes and we need to be prepared for them. We need new ways of doing things and new plans.
“Today, it was decided to change the leaders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. ”
“I am very thankful to Valerii Fedorovych for all the things he has accomplished and won. “