Ukraine
Rumors about the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief Valery Zalushnyj: Ministry denied
According to the Ministry of Defense, Valeriy Zalushnyj (archive photo) is and remains the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces
© Ukrainian Presidency / DPA
There are reports from Ukraine that the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zalushnyj is imminent. But the Ministry of Defense in Kiev is taking a clear position.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has reported the dismissal of the commander-in-chief Valery Saluschnyj contradicted. “Dear journalists, we answer everyone at the same time: That’s not true,” the ministry said on Telegram in Kiev on Monday. The news had previously spread in the Ukrainian media that President Volodymyr Zelensky had fired Saluzhny; However, the corresponding decree has not yet been published. Zelensky’s spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov also denied: “This is not part of the discussion,” he said, according to the Ukrainian agency Interfax Ukraina.
Valery Zalushnyj has been commander-in-chief for two years
The 50-year-old Saluzhny became commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian 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.