Ukraine
Media: Zelenskyj suffers setback in power struggle with his commander-in-chief
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Commander-in-Chief Valery Zalushny
© Efrem Lukatsky/AP/dpa; Mounting: star
Volodymyr Zelensky is said to have tried unsuccessfully to boot Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zalushnyj. Relations between the Ukrainian president and the general have been tense for weeks.
For weeks, relations between Zelensky and Saluzhny have been strained in view of the failed counteroffensive against the Russian attackers. The 50-year-old Salushnyj became commander in chief of the army a few months before the Russian invasion in February 2022. Under his command, Ukrainian troops withstood the invasion and even recaptured occupied territories. The general is considered popular among his soldiers and the population. That’s why he was said to have political ambitions, which he denied.
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Zelensky had to back down
The Times now reported that, according to high-ranking officers, Salushnyj was summoned to a personal meeting with Zelenskyj on Monday. There he told the presidential advisers that their assessments of the military situation were more positive than realistic. He was then asked to resign. When he refused, Zelensky said he would sign a decree for his dismissal. After potential successors rejected the offer to take over as commander-in-chief, Zelensky was forced to back down and initially stick with Saluzhny, the report said.
On Monday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry had already contradicted reports about the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief Saluzhny. “Dear journalists, we answer everyone at the same time: That’s not true,” the ministry said on Telegram.