Western media assume that the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny is a matter of time and are assessing the risks.
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The Financial Times writes that Vladimir Zelensky will eventually dismiss Zaluzhny.
According to the publication, on Monday, January 29, the president offered Zaluzhny a new position as defense adviser. The general refused. However, Zelensky made it clear that he would fire Zaluzhny, regardless of his consent to the position of adviser, writes FT.
The material indicates that Zaluzhny’s likely resignation will be the biggest reshuffle in Ukraine’s military command since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.
At the same time, the dismissal cannot be implemented for some time after reports about it appeared in the media the day before, the FT writes, citing four interlocutors.
The assertion of analysts that General Zaluzhny is considered a likely rival of President Zelensky in the next presidential election is voiced, in particular, by The New York Times.
According to Bloomberg, Zelensky warned Zaluzhny against participating in politics. At the same time, the newspaper writes, it is the political struggle in the West that is holding back the Western assistance Ukraine expects.
ISW quotes “Russian propaganda veteran” Russia Today editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan as saying that whether reports of Zaluzhny’s removal are true or not, “chaos… is useful [росії]”.
Air Force interlocutors in the Ukrainian defense sector say that the number of disagreements between Zelensky and Zaluzhny has reached a critical limit. It is likely that this is not just about different views on combat, but about personal contradictions and a lack of trust.
According to the BBC, Zelensky, Zaluzhny and Umerov met in the OP on Monday, without Ermak. The meeting was held in a calm tone, the president said that he had decided to dismiss the commander-in-chief and that a decree on this would soon be signed.
The BBC writes that in recent months Zelensky has been close to dismissing Zaluzhny more than once. What exactly prompted the president to inform the commander in chief about its inevitability on January 29 is not known exactly.
It is also unknown what exactly prevented the presidential decree from appearing. The BBC’s interlocutors in power voiced two main options: either Kyiv’s Western partners intervened in the situation, or there is a problem with the appointment of a new commander in chief.
The FT names the commander of the Ground Forces, Alexander Syrsky, and the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, as possible candidates.
At the same time, BBC sources in military circles say that neither Syrsky nor Budanov are eager to take Zaluzhny’s chair and have refused this appointment.
It is unknown how this story will end. But if Zelensky leaves his commander-in-chief in office, he will look weak. If he fires him, the awkward manner in which it was done will only damage management’s credibility, concludes The Econimist.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.