Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has replaced the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, marking the most significant military leadership shakeup since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. Zaluzhnyi, widely credited with orchestrating Ukraine’s early battlefield successes and holding a high public approval rating, was succeeded by General Oleksandr Syrskyi. The transition comes amid a stalled frontline, ongoing challenges with military mobilization, and reported strategic disagreements between the presidency and the military high command.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed General Valerii Zaluzhnyi as Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
- General Oleksandr Syrskyi, previously the commander of Ukrainian land forces, has been appointed as the new military chief.
- Zaluzhnyi maintained high popularity among the Ukrainian public and troops for his leadership during the defense of Kyiv and the 2022 counteroffensives.
- The leadership change follows months of reported tensions between the president and the general over military strategy and mobilization requirements.
- The shakeup occurs during a challenging phase of the conflict, marked by ammunition shortages and pressure along the eastern front.
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Ukraine is preparing for the next stage of war with Russia.
The trigger may be Fedorov’s popularity. In a recent KIIS poll from May and early June, more Ukrainians trusted Fedorov than distrusted him by a margin of 29 points—wider than Zelenskyy’s 27, and beaten only by the Kharkiv mayor and the war’s most-trusted commanders, among them former army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
Zelenskyy may have come to see his defense minister as a rival, and he predicted the removal would only lift Fedorov’s standing.
Former infrastructure minister Volodymyr Omelyan stated that the reshuffle could be an attempt to strengthen the government before a hard winter—but only if real professionals are appointed and left to work free of the Office of the President, which he doubted would happen.
Zelenskyy’s overriding aim, Omelyan argued, is to consolidate the security services and sideline the opposition to hold power indefinitely, with the war effort, arming the military, and EU integration all ranked behind the private interests of a few people around him.
Klymenko, tapped to replace him, brings his own controversy. Non-affiliated MP Liudmyla Buimister warned that handing him defense would endanger a key wartime ministry, saying he had failed outright as interior minister.
She blamed him for the chaotic “busification” mobilization drives—in which men are seized off the street into vans—that police, she said, first stood back from and then made worse, in remarks on Telegram.
Earlier, he began with an audit that uncovered about $7.2 billion in overspending and put ministry officials through a lie detector tests, The Economist reported. His departure is the second at the top of Ukraine's defense-industrial structure in two days, following the exit of Ukroboronprom chief Herman Smetanin.
Gee. Chinese drones. Assembled in Europe. Targeted by Americans. What did he have to do with anything?
Minister Fedrov has the potential to be the next President, for sure.
Thoughts of an EU citizen, with the future perception of creating a European Union identity, of a de-Nationalised and re-Europeanised citizenship.
It's a catastrophe. Foreign countries should pause money transfers. This is the only language Zelensky and the corrupt politicians understand.
He was in the way of corruption.
Most likely, Zelensky is threatened by his rising popularity. If anything, it's a selfish, bad judgment.
"commander in chief"