Zelensky announces 8 tasks for new Armed Forces chief Syrskyi
8 February 19:29
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has named eight tasks for the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi. The head of state said this in his traditional video address, according to
Zelensky expects such changes in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the near future:
- “Each combat brigade on the first line should receive effective Western weapons – there should be a fair redistribution of such weapons in favour of the first line of the front.
- A realistic, detailed action plan for the Armed Forces of Ukraine for 2024 should be put on the table. It should take into account the real situation on the battlefield now and the prospects.
- Logistical problems need to be resolved. Avdiivka should not wait for generals to find out where their drones are stuck in their warehouses.
- Every general must know the frontline. If a general does not know the frontline, he is not serving Ukraine.
- Excessive and unjustified staffing levels must be corrected.
- We need to build an effective system of rotations in the army. The experience of certain combat brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, where such a system exists, can be used as a basis. Rotations are a must.
- There is a clear need to improve the quality of training for soldiers – only trained soldiers on the front line.
- A new kind of force is being created in the structure of the Armed Forces – the Unmanned Systems Force. The first commander must be appointed.
Commander-in-Chief Syrsky will present the team to reboot the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the coming days.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyy, and appointed General Oleksandr Syrskyy as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
According to Zelenskyy, Syrskyi has successful experience in defence, having led the Kyiv defence operation, and successful experience in offence, having led the Kharkiv liberation operation.
The President believes that 2024 can be successful for Ukraine only if there are effective changes in the basis of our defence, which is the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Zaluzhnyi’s resignation
About a week ago, rumours began to circulate online that the President of Ukraine had allegedly decided to dismiss the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.
The Washington Post reported that rank-and-file soldiers are particularly disliking Syrsky , who is widely regarded as a Soviet-style commander who kept troops under fire in Bakhmut for too long when Ukraine was supposed to withdraw.
“He is a General Patton-type character. He does not have the human resources gene in his body,”
– a person close to Zelensky said.
The departure of Zaluzhnyi, 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 repel advancing Russian forces, the newspaper said. But any move by the US to challenge Zelenskyy’s decision could be seen as exerting undue influence.
Reaction
The news of Zaluzhnyi’s possible dismissal caused a real outcry online, which was quite expected given the Commander-in-Chief’s ratings. Rumour has it that this is why President Zelenskyy decided to postpone signing the decree. However, while the people are unanimously on Zaluzhnyi’s side, MPs are trying to approach the issue in a more balanced way.
History of the confrontation
The confrontation between Supreme Commander-in-Chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyy has been discussed almost since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. Zelenskyi is rumoured to see Zaluzhnyi as a competitor, given the latter’s popularity among the people. According to a public opinion poll released by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology on 18 December 2023, 88% of Ukrainians trust Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, while 62% trust Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy’s dislike of Zaluzhnyi seems to have reached a new level after Zaluzhnyi published an op-ed in The Economist last November. In the article, the commander-in-chief wrote that the Ukrainian army had hit the ceiling of technology provided by its partners, and the current moment on the front corresponds to the current technological advantage over the enemy. He also gave a cautious forecast for 2024, saying that there would most likely be no beautiful and profound breakthrough, but instead a balance of devastating destruction and losses. Zelenskyy’s office reacted negatively to the article, and the president himself later said at a press conference that he expected “very specific things on the battlefield” from the army command.
The two Commanders-in-Chief seem to be in constant disagreement over specific actions at the front. For example, according to a number of media outlets, Zaluzhnyi allegedly believed that there was no point in holding Bakhmut at such a high cost, but Zelenskyi thought otherwise.