News of Mr Zaluzhny’s dismissal spread throughout Kiev on Monday evening. There had been widespread reports of a rift between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny following the failure of Ukraine’s counteroffensive last year.
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, General Valery Zaluzhny. Photo: Ukrinform
On Monday, Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov told CNN and others that rumors of the army chief's dismissal were false.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry also posted a message on its social media channels saying: “Dear journalists, an immediate answer for everyone: No, this is not true.”
Despite the failure of Ukraine's counteroffensive to push back Russian forces in the south and east of the country, General Zaluzhny remains one of the country's most popular leaders.
A poll released in December by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology found that 88% of Ukrainians supported their top general. Mr Zelensky’s approval rating stood at just 62%. The poll was conducted after the two leaders’ differences over the conflict with Russia.
Tensions are said to have increased between Ukraine's two leaders after Mr Zaluzhny described the war with Russia as a stalemate in an interview and essay in The Economist magazine last November.
Bui Huy (according to CNN)
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