Kyiv [Ukraine], February 9: Replacing the army commander-in-chief, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that Ukrainian forces had proven they could regain control of the skies but had failed to achieve their goals on the ground by 2023.
The Kyiv Independent news site late on February 8 (Vietnam time) reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Army Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi and appointed Army Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi to replace him.
"I appoint General Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Starting today, a new management team will take over the leadership of the Armed Forces," he announced.
A while earlier, President Zelensky posted a post on Telegram showing him standing with Mr. Zaluzhnyi with the content: "I met with General Zaluzhnyi, thanking him for two years of service."
This announcement came after many reports from Ukrainian and foreign media agencies citing anonymous sources in the government that Mr. Zelensky was preparing to fire the commander-in-chief.
Mr. Zaluzhnyi also published a similar message and included a photo of the president together. "We just met with the president. An important and serious conversation. A decision was made on the need to change the approach and strategy," Mr. Zaluzhnyi wrote.
"The challenges of 2022 are different from 2024. Therefore, everyone must change and adapt to the new reality to win together," he wrote.
Mr. Zaluzhnyi has held the position of commander-in-chief since July 2021. In November 2023, there was some information mentioning disagreements between him and President Zelensky.
Reuters on February 9 quoted Mr. Zelensky as saying that the Ukrainian army needs immediate changes with a new approach to mobilization and recruitment.
According to him, Ukrainian forces have proven that they can regain control of the skies but have failed to achieve their goals on the ground by 2023. "We need realistic and detailed plans on the battlefield for the year 2024," he said.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
