Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has admitted publicly for the first time that he is seeking to replace the country’s most senior military commander, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
“A reset, a new beginning is necessary,” Zelenskiy told the Italian outlet Rai News in an interview broadcast on Sunday night, when asked about rumours of Zaluzhnyi’s dismissal.
Zaluzhnyi, who has led the armed forces since before Russia’s full-scale invasion, is a largely popular figure among soldiers and society at large, meaning replacing him could be a politically risky decision.
At a meeting last Monday, Zelenskiy told Zaluzhnyi he planned to replace him, according to those with knowledge of the conversation, and offered the general a chance to resign. But Zaluzhnyi refused to step down. When news of the conversation leaked, Zelenskiy’s press secretary, Serhii Nykyforov, denied it.
“There is no subject of conversation,” he told reporters. “There is no order. The president did not dismiss the commander-in-chief.” The ministry of defence also denied the rumours.
Now, however, Zelenskiy has admitted he is looking to make major changes, suggesting a broader shake-up of Ukraine’s leadership.
“I have something serious in mind, which is not about a single person but the direction of the country’s leadership,” said Zelenskiy. “I mean a replacement of a series of state leaders, not just in a single sector like the military. If we want to win we must all push in the same direction, convinced of victory, we cannot be discouraged, let our arms fall, we must have the right positive energy,” he added.
Relations between Zelenskiy and Zaluzhnyi have been strained for months, say sources with knowledge of the relationship. The president and his top commander have disagreed over plans for further mobilisation, with Zelenskiy announcing at the end of last year that he had turned down a request from the military to mobilise up to 500,000 new recruits. Figures in the presidential administration have also been alarmed by Zaluzhnyi’s broad popularity, seeing him as a potential future political rival, and irritated by interviews he has given.
As the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion approaches, Ukraine is dealing with exhaustion among troops at the front and in society at large, as well as an increasingly less favourable international backdrop. US military assistance has been suspended, as Republicans block efforts to send new funding. Ukrainian officials say this has affected battlefield performance and made it harder to plan future operations.
The rumours of a shake-up at the top have unnerved many in the army and society, and the uncertainty comes at a time when Ukraine’s defensive lines are under pressure.
In a social media post on Monday afternoon, the Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko attacked Zelenskiy for the planned move, crediting Zaluzhnyi with Ukrainian military successes over the past two years. “Unfortunately, the moment has come when politics might outweigh common sense and the interests of the state,” Klitschko wrote.
At the front, soldiers said they would be looking closely to see what kind of person is chosen to replace Zaluzhnyi. “Before you fire someone from their post, especially such an important one, you need to be sure who will replace this person and what their vision is for the future of this situation,” Ihor, a 33-year-old company commander, told Reuters.
In recent weeks, the Russians have advanced to positions close to the outskirts of Avdiivka, an industrial city just outside Donetsk, which has been occupied by Russia-backed forces since 2014.
At a campaign event last week, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, boasted that Moscow’s forces had seized “19 houses” on the outskirts of Avdiivka and were holding on to them. The Russian offensive appears to be more about regaining initiative than actually seizing the city, which has been largely reduced to ruins by the relentless Russian assault.