Ukrainian President Zelensky has dismissed his army chief, Zalushny. An attempt to dismiss him failed last week. His successor will be the previous commander of the land forces.
Almost two years after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Zelensky has deposed his army chief, Valery Zalushny. There had previously been reports for days about the general’s possible dismissal. Because of the failed counteroffensive against Russia, the relationship between Zelensky and Saluzhny was considered tense.
He is now to be replaced by the previous commander of the land forces, Oleksandr Syrskyj. Zelensky asked Salushny to continue to participate in military leadership.
“New strategies are needed”
The president had previously met with his top military. “I thanked him for two years of defense,” Zelensky wrote on his social media blogs. “We talked about what renewal the Ukrainian armed forces need.” It was also about how the leadership of the army could be renewed. “The time for renewal is now.”
Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov also thanked Saluzhny. But he wrote on Facebook that the battles of 2022, 2023 and 2024 are “different realities.” 2024 will bring changes. “New approaches, new strategies are necessary.”
Saluzhny himself said he had an “important and serious conversation” with Zelensky and that a decision had been made to change tactics and strategy at the front. “The tasks of 2022 are different from the tasks of 2024. That’s why everyone has to change and adapt to the new realities. Also to win together,” he wrote on Telegram.
The armed forces have demonstrated that they are capable of regaining control of the skies, Zelensky said. However, they were unable to achieve their goals on the ground last year. Immediate reforms are needed. What is needed is a realistic strategy for 2024. The president called for new approaches to mobilizing and recruiting soldiers.
Attempt to pressure Saluzhny to resign
In a sensational article for the British magazine The Economist, the general wrote that the war on the ground had reached a stalemate. Only large arms deliveries and a technological leap could bring the Ukrainian armed forces back on the offensive. Zelensky publicly contradicted his highest military officer in this assessment. Those responsible for the Ukrainian war were also divided on the question of further mobilization of soldiers.
According to consistent media reports, Selenskyj is said to have tried to pressure Saluzhnyj to resign at the end of January. However, he refused. The Times reported that Zelensky had to reverse the decision – also under pressure from the USA and Great Britain as well as high-ranking military officials.
Own political career?
The 50-year-old Saluzhny became the army’s army chief a few months before the Russian invasion in February 2022. Under his command, Ukrainian troops withstood the invasion and even recaptured occupied territories. He was also the architect of the 2023 Ukrainian summer offensive, which made little progress against heavily fortified Russian defenses.
The general was considered popular among his soldiers and the population. That’s why he was recently said to have political ambitions, which he denied.