Volodymyr Zelenskyy is considering sacking Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, who is known as “the Butcher”, as he seeks to navigate a path out of the biggest military leadership crisis of his presidency, FT reports.
Oleksandr Syrsky’s leadership of the armed forces has become a lightning rod for protests that have grown since Zelenskyy fired the civilian defence minister after a deepening rift between the two leaders became untenable.
According to a senior administration official, Zelenskyy is gathering military commanders this weekend to hear their assessments of the battlefield situation and to interview candidates to take command of the army.
That person said Zelenskyy was open to removing Syrsky from his post if he could find a commander who would ensure a smooth transfer of power while maintaining a strong defence along the 1,200km front line.
Zelenskyy fired Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister this week after Syrsky presented the president with an “ultimatum” to remove the 35-year-old cabinet minister, according to Fedorov.
The move exposed divisions over Ukraine’s military strategy and the willingness of the armed forces to address its shortcomings just as momentum in the war against Russia has swung in its favour.
But the president’s consideration of dismissing Syrsky came only after protests over Fedorov’s sacking broadened on Friday night into a wider campaign against the commander. Thousands of Ukrainians gathered outside the presidential administration building in what was one of the largest protests in years. They chanted, “Syrsky out!”
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