Zelenskyy Makes One of His Biggest Bets by Taking the Army Chief’s Place

Paresh Jadhav

11 months ago

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy takes an unprecedented risk by replacing army chief as one of his major gambles.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has taken what many insiders consider an unprecedented risk by dismissing his much-revered army chief, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi. This move comes amid Ukraine’s conflict with Russia entering its third year and as shortages in ammunition, personnel and support from Western nations worsens.

Zaluzhnyi was widely seen as the face of Ukrainian military. Following reports of his departure, President Petro Poroshenko posted on social media and thanked Zaluzhnyi for his service while encouraging soldiers to adapt and adjust accordingly in order to win together.

However, his dismissal has dealt a severe blow to morale on a frontline that covers nearly 1,000 kilometers (700 miles). Retired Australian General Mick Ryan recently wrote that it could prove disastrous in terms of garnering international support for an offensive against Russia.

Zaluzhnyi had long been a fierce critic of President Zelenskyy’s plan for full-scale offensive action, noting that it would require much bloodshed and could draw in direct US involvement against Moscow. Instead, his advice was for Ukrainian forces to maintain control over Avdiivka to prevent Russian breakthroughs – but political will always takes precedence; with Syrskyi, Zelenskyy now has an officer likely not to disagree with this demand.

Syrskyi led Ukraine’s ground forces during some of their most noteworthy successes during this war, such as protecting Kyiv from Russian invaders during Russia’s initial full-scale invasion in February 2022 and turning back a massive Russian counteroffensive last autumn. Additionally, many credit him with modernizing and adopting NATO standards into his army’s operations.

But now he faces the difficult challenge of rebuilding confidence in the military in light of increasingly alarming delays in vital Western military aid. Ukraine already suffers from shell shortages and other ammunition is limited; any delays could only compound commanders’ struggles further.

Zelenskyy could face personal responsibility if the military situation worsens in coming months, an extreme gamble which could pay off or turn catastrophic. Peter Dickinson is editor of UkraineAlert from the Atlantic Council and can be followed on Twitter @UkraineAlert for updates. Reproduction without written permission from The Atlantic Council is strictly forbidden; any inquiries should contact permissions@ac-usa.org instead. This material was produced specifically for UkraineAlert by The Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert service online service of their UkraineAlert service.