Ukraine’s top commander, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, appeared to be officially removed Thursday night — the latest twist in a drawn-out saga between him and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who told the military chief 10 days ago that he was being dismissed, APA reports citing The Washington Post.
But Zelenskyy did not immediately name a successor as commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, fueling further uncertainty over who will lead the difficult fight against Russia’s continuing invasion.
In posts on both Zelenskyy’s and Zaluzhny’s social media accounts, the two men posed shaking hands and smiling. “A decision was made about the need to change approaches and strategy,” Zaluzhny wrote.
Zelenskyy’s post said that he “thanked” Zaluzhny, 50, for “two years of protecting Ukraine.” He added that in their meeting Thursday, they discussed “updated leadership” for Ukraine’s military.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy chose on Thursday Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi to replace Valeriy Zaluzhny as the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
"The year 2024 can be successful for Ukraine only if there are effective changes in the basis of our defense," Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegram post, adding that Syrskyi has had ample experience in both defensive and offensive operations.
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