On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he was considering dismissing the country's top military officer as part of a shakeup that will be wide-ranging. This has stunned the nation as it is fighting to end Russia's invasion, and it is worrying to Ukraine's Western allies as well.
He announced during an interview with Italian station RAI TV and said the move would be to ensure the country is led by individuals who are "convinced of victory" against Russia.
"A reset, a new beginning is necessary," Zelenskyy 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," Zelenskyy 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."
This is the first time that the president has publicly acknowledged that he would possibly fire Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces. The ouster would be the source of outrage among Ukraine's military rank and file, many of whom admire the general-who is credited with stalling Russia's invasion in the early days and pushing back Moscow's troops.
Kyiv Mayor and former heavyweight boxing champion Vitalii Klitschko criticized the possibility of 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," Klitschko said on social media. The mayor of Ukraine's capital city has been a vocal critic of Zelenskyy. The presidency in turn has accused Klitschko's office of inefficiencies.
According to Ukrainian and Western media reports, Zelenskyy asked Zaluzhnyi to resign last week, but the general refused.
