Zelensky revokes Zaluzhny's dismissal as Commander-in-Chief after public outcry - Financial Times
Kyiv • UNN
President Zelensky's attempt to remove the popular General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi from command caused public outrage, which prevented his dismissal.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing to dismiss Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, after the recent media outcry over the dismissal of Ukrainians' favorite general, the President cannot dismiss him. The Financial Times writes about this , citing its sources, UNN reports .
Details
The journalists note that the removal of Valeriy Zaluzhnyi from his post would mark the biggest change in the military command after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Financial Times, Zelenskiy on Monday offered the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny a new position as a defense adviser, but the general declined. This was confirmed by four people familiar with the discussions.
In particular, two of the FT's interlocutors noted that Zelensky made it clear to Zaluzhny that regardless of whether he accepted the offer of a new position, he would be dismissed from the post of Commander-in-Chief.
All four of the FT's sources also claim that although Zelenskyy's office had already approved the decision to dismiss Zaluzhnyy, he may not be fired, as reports of the plans appeared in the Ukrainian media and caused a lot of noise.
The news of Zaluzhnyi's removal caused outrage among the Ukrainian military and civil society, among whom he enjoys enormous support.
Context
The publication also recalled rumors that Zelenskyy and Zaluzhnyy allegedly have tensions after Ukraine's announced counteroffensive failed to realize its ambitious goals of regaining lost territory and cutting Russia's land bridge to Crimea.
Then Zaluzhny said that the war had entered a "stalemate". The President's Office strongly disagreed with this opinion.
In a Ukrainian poll released in December, 88 percent of Ukrainians said they trusted Zaluzhnyi, compared to 62 percent who said they trusted Zelenskiy.
The newspaper notes that Zaluzhny's replacement could also unnerve Ukraine's Western partners, including the military, which has worked closely with the general over the past two years to develop battlefield strategies.
Recall
On Monday, journalists and MPs actively began to dispel reports that Valeriy Zaluzhnyi had been dismissed from the post of the Chief of Staff. In addition, sources of MPs claimed that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was dismissed.
However, the personnel reshuffle was never officially confirmed .
