Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky takes part in a news conference in Kyiv, on June 28, 2023.ALINA SMUTKO/Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is thinking about dismissing the country’s top military officer as part of a broader leadership shakeup, a possibility that has shocked the nation fighting a war to end Russia’s invasion and also worried Ukraine’s Western allies.
Mr. Zelensky confirmed in an interview with Italian broadcaster RAI TV released late Sunday that he was thinking about removing General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the popular commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces. He said he was contemplating the move to ensure the country remains led by individuals who are “convinced of victory” against Russia.
“A reset, a new beginning is necessary,” Mr. Zelensky said. The review is “not about a single person but about the direction of the country’s leadership.”
“I’m thinking about this replacement, but you can’t say here we replaced a single person,” Mr. Zelensky said. “When we talk about this, I mean a replacement of a series of state leaders, not just in a single sector like the military. If we want to win, we must all push in the same direction, convinced of victory. We cannot be discouraged, let our arms fall. We must have the right positive energy.”
Mr. Zelensky’s comments were his first acknowledgment of Gen. Zaluzhnyi’s possible firing. The potential ouster of the general already has caused an uproar in Ukraine and delighted the Kremlin as the war approaches its second anniversary.
Gen. Zaluzhnyi is widely respected among Ukrainian service members and considered a national hero. He is credited with stalling Russia’s full-scale invasion in the early days of the war and expertly pushing back Moscow’s troops.
Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko criticized the possibility of Gen. Zaluzhnyi’s firing, saying it was due to the general’s leadership that “many Ukrainians truly trust the armed forces.”
“Today is a moment when politics might prevail over reason and country’s interests,” Mr. Klitschko said on social media. The mayor of Ukraine’s capital city has been a vocal critic of Mr. Zelensky. The administration in turn has accused Mr. Klitschko’s office of inefficiencies.
It is unclear who might replace Gen. Zaluzhnyi and if his successor would command the same level of respect from Ukraine’s troops and foreign defence leaders. His firing could risk degrading morale at a critical time in the war.
According to Ukrainian and Western media reports, Mr. Zelensky asked Gen. Zaluzhnyi to resign last week, but the general refused. Gen. Zaluzhnyi has not commented publicly on the reports.
Tensions between him and the President have been rising since a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive, which was launched in June with the help of an array of Western weapons, failed to produce major territory gains in Russian-occupied areas, disappointing allies.
Ukraine now is grappling with ammunition and personnel shortages while Russia is on the offensive, mounting relentless attacks. Four people were killed and at least one was injured in a Monday afternoon strike over the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, the head of the local military administration said.
The need for a broad mobilization to beef up the number of Ukrainian troops has reportedly been one of the areas of disagreement between Mr. Zelensky and Gen. Zaluzhnyi.
Mr. Zelensky said at the end of last year that he had turned down the military’s request to marshal up to 500,000 people, demanding more details about how the mobilization would be organized and paid for.
A rift between Gen. Zaluzhnyi and Mr. Zelensky first broke into the open in the fall when the general acknowledged in an interview with The Economist that the fighting with Russia had stalemated. The President strongly denied that was the case.
For his part, Gen. Zaluzhnyi has published two essays laying out his vision for how Ukraine can win the war. In his writings, he said it was critical for Ukraine to have air superiority, to extend its efficiency in countering enemy artillery, to build up reserves and to increase electronic warfare capabilities.
Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren announced Monday that the Netherlands was preparing six additional F-16 fighter jets to give Ukraine on top of 18 the country previously pledged.
Ukraine’s “aerial superiority is essential for countering Russian aggression,” Ms. Ollongren said in a message on X, formerly Twitter. Denmark also has promised to donate 19 F-16s to Ukraine.
Lieutenant-General Serhii Nayev, the commander of the Ukrainian military’s joint forces, said Monday that the country was set to receive missiles with a range of 300 to 500 kilometres along with the F-16s as part of anticipated defence aid packages from its allies, according to Ukrainian news agency RBK-Ukraine.
Ukraine desperately needs more Western military assistance as Russian forces manoeuvre from many directions along the drawn-out war’s 1,500-kilometre front line. House Republicans in the United States are moving forward with a military spending package that provides aid to Israel but leaves out more help for Ukraine. Gen. Zaluzhnyi’s dismissal could fuel further uncertainty among Western allies.
Russia has rejoiced at the prospect, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that the talk about Gen. Zaluzhnyi’s dismissal exposed rifts in the Ukrainian leadership.
The Ukrainska Pravda newspaper reported Monday that Mr. Zelensky also was considering the removal of general staff chief Serhii Shaptala.
Gen. Zaluzhnyi on Monday congratulated Mr. Shaptala on his birthday and posted a picture of them together on Facebook.
“It will still be very difficult for us, but we will definitely never be ashamed,” Gen. Zaluzhnyi wrote.