Ukrainian army general 'rejects offer to become army commander'

General Syrsky, commander of the Ukrainian army, is said to have rejected a proposal to replace General Valery Zaluzhny as commander of the armed forces.

Ukrainian media reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky asked General Valery Zaluzhny, the top commander of the Ukrainian army, to resign earlier this week, but he refused. Reuters on January 31, citing an anonymous source, said that Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrsky was offered to replace Zaluzhny, but Syrsky refused.

Mr. Syrsky rose to prominence as the commander of Kiev’s defense forces in the first month of the outbreak of hostilities, then organized a successful blitzkrieg in Kharkiv in the fall of 2022. Meanwhile, General Zaluzhny, the top officer in the Ukrainian military, has increasingly disagreed with President Zelensky over the failed counteroffensive late last year.

The Washington Post quoted a senior Ukrainian official as saying that in a meeting on January 29, President Zelensky told General Zaluzhny that people were tired of the war and international military aid had slowed down, so a new commander might be able to save the situation.

Army General Oleksandr Syrsky (left) and Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny. Photo: Reuters

During the meeting, the two sides disagreed sharply on how many troops should be mobilized this year, the source said. Zaluzhny proposed mobilizing nearly 500,000, a figure Zelensky considered unrealistic due to a lack of uniforms, weapons, training grounds, and the potential challenges of large-scale recruitment. President Zelensky said Ukraine would not be able to pay its soldiers if it maintained such a large number of conscripts.

General Zaluzhny, 50, rejected the president's argument, saying Ukraine was seriously understaffed due to rising casualties and also needed additional troops to counter Russia's plans to mobilize 400,000 new recruits.

Senior officials under Mr Zaluzhny could also be dismissed, the source said.

Zaluzhny remains in command of the army, as President Zelensky has not issued any decree to dismiss him. Last year, the head of President Zelensky’s party in parliament announced that Oleksii Reznikov, then defense minister, would be fired. However, Mr. Reznikov remained in office for several months before being removed.

According to Ukrainian law, the commander-in-chief is the head of the armed forces, overseeing the situation of the army and its equipment, weapons and resources. The commander-in-chief reports to the President and the Minister of Defense on the results of implementing the country's strategic military goals.

Commander of the Ukrainian army Valery Zaluzhny attends an event in Kiev in July 2023. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

Zelensky’s spokesman, Serhiy Nykyforov, and General Zaluzhny have not yet responded to the Washington Post’s report. Nykyforov denied on January 29 that Mr. Zaluzhny had been dismissed.

According to a senior Ukrainian official, General Zaluzhny was offered another position by the President, but refused and plans to leave the army.

Mr. Zaluzhny was appointed commander of the Ukrainian army in mid-2021, after many years as commander of the Donbass front. He is known as a strict commander with a strong personality, aiming to retake all the territory from the Donbass separatist militias and always promoting the independence of the Ukrainian army in combat.

Mr. Zaluzhny's influence and position began to rise since Russia launched its campaign in Ukraine in February 2022. However, Mr. Zaluzhny and President Zelensky also had many disagreements and tensions erupted in November 2023 after the Ukrainian commander said Ukraine's war was at a stalemate, drawing harsh criticism from the president's office.

Ivan Stupak, an adviser to the Ukrainian parliament's National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee, admitted in December 2023 that the conflict had existed for a long time. He said at the time that "Mr. Zelensky is getting closer and closer to the decision to fire General Zaluzhny and is trying to find ways to avoid having to talk directly with the commander of the Ukrainian army."

Huyen Le (According to Washington Post )

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/tuong-luc-quan-ukraine-tu-choi-de-nghi-lam-tu-lenh-quan-doi-4707360.html