President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Valeriy Zaluzhnyi from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There is currently no official information, but journalists and MPs reportthat Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, has been appointed to replace Zaluzhny, UNN reports .
We have a new commander-in-chief. The President of Ukraine has appointed Kyrylo Budanov to replace Valeriy Zaluzhny.
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There is no official confirmation, but some politicians say that the president has dismissed Zaluzhnyi.
Former MP Boryslav Bereza was the first to announce Zaluzhny's resignation.
MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, citing his own sources, added that Zaluzhnyi was offered the position of ambassador to one of the European countries, but he refused.
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It is hard for all of us, very hard. But we will never be ashamed again."
Valeriy Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi was born into a military family. He spent his childhood in garrisons, so he dreamed of becoming a soldier. For Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the war began in 2014 when he was appointed deputy commander of Sector C in the ATO zone in Donetsk Oblast. In the battles near Debaltseve, he commanded a battalion.
In 2017, Zaluzhnyi was promoted to major general, but continued to serve on the front line.
In 2018-2019, he was the First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces - Chief of Staff of the Joint Forces Operation.
In 2022, by presidential decree, Zaluzhnyi was promoted to the rank of general.
Since July 2021, he has been the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The American edition of Politico called Zaluzhnyi an "iron general". He was characterized as the brightest representative of the new generation of Ukrainian military and a legendary figure in the history of Ukraine.
In May 2022, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of the Year. He became the first Ukrainian military officer to appear on the cover of the magazine.
Two streets in Ukraine are named after the "Iron General". One is in the city of Pokrov, Dnipropetrovs'k region, and the other is in the village of Stara Synyava, Khmelnytskyi region.
In 2023, Zaluzhnyi received an inheritance: a US citizen of Ukrainian descent, Gregory Stepanets, left Valeriy $1 million. Gregory was not related to the general, so the inheritance came as a surprise to Zaluzhnyi. Without hesitation, he spent all the money on the needs of the army.