President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the dismissal of Ukraine’s supreme commander, General Valery Zalozhny, in the biggest military shake-up since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion nearly two years ago.
The president’s move comes in the wake of tensions between Zelensky and his popular military commander after the failure of Ukraine’s much-vaunted counteroffensive, with Ukraine facing a renewed Russian offensive, manpower and ammunition shortages, and a U.S. aid holdup in Congress.
In a post on a telegram sent shortly before the official announcement, Zelensky said he had a meeting with Zalozny and “discussed what kind of renewal the Ukrainian Armed Forces need.”
“The time has come for such a renewal,” Zelensky wrote.
Zalozny’s replacement will be Oleksandr Sersky, who has been serving as Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces since 2019.
Zalozny wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday, “The tasks of 2022 are different from the tasks of 2024.”
Two informed sources told CNN that rumors of Zalozny’s dismissal began spreading around Kyiv last week after he was summoned to a meeting in the president’s office and informed that he had been fired. Zelensky’s office initially denied the rumours, but the move was confirmed on Thursday.
The president offered Zalozny – whom Zelenskyy appointed army chief in July 2021 – a new position, but he rejected it, according to one of the sources. It remains unclear whether Zalozny has decided to remain involved in the military in some capacity.
