Ukraine is about to change its military commander in the midst of trouble?

The Washington Post was the first to report Kyiv’s move. Citing a senior defense official, the paper said that General Zaluzhnyi’s replacement had not yet been decided and that President Zelensky appeared to want to give the officer a new role to appease public anger.

Two other sources revealed that Mr. Zaluzhnyi was offered the position of Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK, but he declined because it was a civilian position, and he could not retire from the army while Ukraine was under martial law.

British newspaper: Why did President Zelensky change his mind about dismissing Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny?

Reuters quoted a source close to Mr. Zelensky's office as saying that the process of removing Mr. Zaluzhnyi was being delayed while the parties decided the next step and it was unclear how long the process would take. Another source said the White House had not expressed its view on the plan to replace the general, saying Ukraine had the right to make " sovereign decisions" on personnel. Both sources said the administration of US President Joe Biden did not oppose Mr. Zaluzhnyi's removal.

Mr. Zelensky (right) and Mr. Zaluzhnyi at a ceremony in Kyiv in August 2023

The incident took place in the context of the counter-offensive campaign that Ukraine launched since the middle of last year in the war with Russia has not achieved the expected results. Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Zaluzhnyi have disagreed on many issues, including the latest military mobilization effort, in which the Ukrainian president opposed the commander-in-chief's plan to mobilize 500,000 more soldiers. In an article published on CNN on February 1, Mr. Zaluzhnyi said that the Ukrainian government has not mobilized enough soldiers to fight Russia, and called for "abandoning outdated, stereotypical thinking."

In a video posted nightly on February 2, President Zelensky said he had met with military commanders, including General Zaluzhnyi, earlier in the day to update the war situation, but did not mention any personnel changes.

'Suicide mission': Ukrainian army reveals dire situation on the battlefield

Regarding developments on the battlefield, Mr. Zelensky revealed that the situation in the city of Avdiivka (in Donetsk province) is currently "extremely difficult" for Kyiv. The leader also praised the appearance of two newly received air defense systems that he said could "shoot down anything," although he did not provide specific information.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/ukraine-sap-thay-tong-tu-lenh-quan-doi-giua-luc-nguy-kho-185240203215533547.htm