Ukraine**Zelensky issued a statement on his personal statement on February 8 that his new team will take over the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the former Supreme Commander Zaluzhny, who has been relieved of his post, Alexander Syrsky, will become the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army. It is also the largest reorganization of the army on the Ukrainian side after the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Ukrainian Zelensky (left) and Zaluzhny met in Kyiv and shook hands with Putin on February 8, 2024.
Zelenskyy said in a statement that he met with Zaluzhny in light of the seemingly stalled fighting, expressing gratitude for leading his army against Russian forces, as many military analysts believe Ukraine will soon be captured, and called on Zaluzhny to remain in his "group."
Zaluzhny also issued a manifesto saying that he had a "critical and serious conversation" with Zelensky and made a resolution on a shift in the tactics and tactics of the war. "The mission in 2022 is completely different from the mission in 2024, so everyone needs to adjust in the new environment to achieve ultimate success. ”
Recently, rumors about Zaluzhny's possible dismissal have continued to appear, and at the same time, many people have speculated that Zelensky and Zaluzhny have different opinions, and speculated that Zaluzeni may compete with Zelensky in the future. Analysts say that the Ukrainian military is currently busy coping with the Russian offensive, and the change of commander at this time will affect the morale of the Ukrainian army. At the same time, from a political point of view, this is also a counterproductive approach that hurts Zelensky's popularity.
Zaluzhny is hailed by many Ukrainians as a national hero of the "Iron General", and in a poll late last year, Ukrainians supported him at around 90 percent, much higher than Zelensky's 62 percent.
Syrsky, 58, the commander of Ukraine's army, is credited with defending Kyiv in the first month after the war and launched a major counterattack northeast of Kharkiv this fall. However, the average soldier thinks that he is a Soviet-style commander-in-chief, and when Ukraine should retreat in eastern Ukraine, he let the army hold out in the rain of bullets for a long time.
Zelenskyy said he had held dozens of talks with generals at all levels, and that the new military leader would be Ukraine's most senior general.
"We now have an open ** on the military side, and these changes have nothing to do with names and politics, but with the administration of the armed forces to make the Ukrainian military successful," he added. ”