Ukraine replaces army commander, stresses need for realistic combat plan

Ukraine thay tổng tư lệnh quân đội, nhấn mạnh cần kế hoạch tác chiến thực tế- Ảnh 1. — President Zelensky and Mr. Zaluzhnyi on February 8

The Kyiv Independent news site reported late on February 8 (Vietnam time) that President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Commander-in-Chief of the Army 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.

Moments earlier, President Zelensky posted a Telegram post showing him standing with Mr Zaluzhnyi, with the caption: "I met General Zaluzhnyi, thank you for two years of service."

Ukraine thay tổng tư lệnh quân đội, nhấn mạnh cần kế hoạch tác chiến thực tế- Ảnh 2. — Army Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi becomes new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army

The announcement comes after multiple reports from Ukrainian and foreign media citing anonymous government sources that Mr Zelensky was preparing to fire the commander-in-chief.

Mr Zaluzhnyi also released a similar message, accompanied by a photo of himself with the president. "We just met with the president. An important and serious conversation. A decision was made about the need to change the approach and strategy," Mr Zaluzhnyi wrote.

“The challenges of 2022 are different from 2024. So everyone must change and adapt to the new reality to win together,” he wrote.

Mr. Zaluzhnyi has been the commander-in-chief since July 2021. In November 2023, there were some reports about 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.

Ukrainian forces have proven they can regain control of the skies but have failed to achieve their goals on the ground in 2023, he said. "We need realistic and detailed plans on the battlefield in 2024," he said.

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