Zaluzhny resigned. Syrskyy became Chief of the AFU
8 February 2024 19:15
President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny, and appointed General Oleksandr Syrskyy as the new commander-in-chief of the AFU, reports said 
“I am grateful to General Zaluzhny for two years of defence. I am grateful for every victory we achieved together, and I thank all Ukrainian soldiers who are heroically pulling this war on themselves.”
– the statement said.
According to him, they had a frank talk today about what requires changes in the army. The president suggested that General Zaluzhny should continue to be together in the team of the Ukrainian state and added that he would be grateful for his consent.
According to the President, from today a new management team will take over the leadership of the AFU.
“I want the vision of the war to be united and our soldiers in Robotino or Avdeevka, and in the General Staff and Stavka. I have had dozens of conversations with commanders at different levels. In particular, today I spoke with Brigadier Generals Andrei Gnatov, Mikhail Drapaty, Igor Skibyuk and Colonels Pavlo Palisa and Vadim Sukharevsky. All of them are being considered for senior positions in the army and will serve under the leadership of the most experienced Ukrainian commander.”
– zelensky said.
The president named General Oleksandr Syrskyy as such a commander and appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
According to Zelenskyy, Syrskyy has successful experience in defence – he conducted the Kiev defensive operation, and successful experience in offensive – the Kharkiv liberation operation.
Zelensky added that today he also spoke with generals Yevhen Moisyuk and Mykhailo Zabrodskyy. The president believes that 2024 can become successful for Ukraine only if there are effective changes in the basis of our defence, which is the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Zaluzhny’s resignation
About a week ago, rumours started circulating online that the Ukrainian president had allegedly decided to resign the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyy.
Itshould be noted that The Washington Post wrote that among ordinary soldiers especially dislike Syrsky, whom many consider a Soviet-style commander who kept troops under fire for too long in Bakhmut when Ukraine should have pulled back.
“This is a General Patton-type character. He doesn’t have the human resources gene in his body.”
– said a person close to Zelensky.
As the publication notes, the departure of Zaluzhny, one of the most popular figures in Ukrainian society, could affect troop morale and shake the confidence of Western donors as Ukraine’s military tries to fend off advancing Russian forces. But any move by the US to appeal Zelensky’s decision could be seen as exerting undue influence.
Reaction
Information about Zaluzhny’s likely dismissal caused a real outrage online, and it was quite expected, given the Commander-in-Chief’s ratings. It is rumoured that this is why President Zelensky decided to postpone the signing of the relevant decree. However, if the people are unanimously on the side of Zaluzhny, then the people’s elected representatives are trying to approach the issue in a more balanced way.
History of the confrontation
The confrontation between the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Zelensky and the Commander-in-Chief of the AFU Valery Zaluzhny has been talked about almost from the very beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. It is rumoured that Zelensky sees Zaluzhny as a rival, given the latter’s popularity among the people. According to a public opinion poll released by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology on 18 December 2023, 88% of Ukrainians trust Valery Zaluzhny, while 62% trust Zelensky.
Zelensky’s dislike for Zaluzhny seemed to reach a new level after Zaluzhny published his own article in The Economist last November. In the article, the commander-in-chief wrote that the Ukrainian army had hit a ceiling of technology provided to it by its partners, and the current moment on the front corresponds to the current technological superiority over the enemy. He also gave a cautious forecast for 2024, saying that there would likely be no beautiful and deep breakthrough, but instead a balance of crushing destruction and losses. Zelensky had a negative reaction to the said article, while the president himself later told a press conference that he expects “very concrete things on the battlefield” from the army command.
There are allegedly constant disagreements between the two commanders-in-chief regarding specific actions on the front. For example, according to a number of media outlets, Zaluzhny seemed to believe that there was no point in holding Bakhmut at such an expensive price, but Zelensky thought otherwise.
