Zelenskiy fires Valery Zarzhiny, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s military

Ukraine’s president has dismissed the country’s top military commander, Valery Zarzhiny.

This follows speculation about a rift between the president and General Zarzhni, who has led Ukraine’s war effort since the conflict began.

General Oleksandr Shirschiky was announced as his successor by presidential decree.

The move marks the biggest change in Ukraine’s military leadership since the February 2022 invasion of Russia.

Zelenskiy said the high command needed to be “revamped” and that General Zarzhini could “remain in the team.”

“Starting today, a new management team will take over the leadership of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” he said on Thursday.

The president said he had a “candid conversation” with General Zarzhni about the changes needed in the military and thanked the general for protecting Ukraine from Russia.

Zelenskyy said that the new army commander, General Shirushkyi, has experience in both defensive and offensive warfare.

The general led the defense of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, in the event of a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.

He was the mastermind behind the Ukrainian surprise attack and successful counterattack in Kharkov that summer, and has since been in charge of military operations in eastern Ukraine, one of the two mainstays of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“We have to make this year an important year,” Zelenskiy said.

“It is extremely important to achieve Ukraine’s goals in the war. Russia cannot simply accept the fact of the existence of an independent Ukraine, the very fact of our independent life.”

He said the “revamp” of the military leadership was not about “surnames” or politics, but rather based on the management of Ukraine’s armed forces and the experience of battlefield commanders.

“Military action must become more technologically advanced. The generalship must be reset,” he added.

Zelenskiy said he expected detailed plans for the military to be drawn up this year, taking into account the realities of war with Russia. He said frontline management, mobilization and recruitment required a different approach.

Ukrainian parliamentarian Mykhailo Podlyak, an adviser to the president’s chief of staff, said the move was necessary to correct the tactics used in Ukraine’s counterattack last year.

He echoed Zelenskiy’s comments about the need to prevent stagnation on the front lines and find high-tech solutions.

But the announcement has so far received mixed reactions, with opposition MPs initially criticizing the reforms.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko thanked General Zarzhni for his contribution to Ukraine, adding that he hoped the authorities would justify the changes.

Oleksiy Honcharenko of Ukraine’s opposition party Poroshenko said the move was a “big mistake” by the president. He said it carried risks for the country, adding: “We will all have to pay for this mistake.”

Another opposition lawmaker, Valentin Nalyvaichenko of the Batkivshina party, said the military’s wartime leadership “is something we should preserve, support and not criticize, but support in every possible way.” said.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov thanked General Zarzhiny in a statement, saying:

“General Valery Zarzhiny had one of the most difficult tasks: leading the Ukrainian army during World War I against Russia.

“But wars do not remain the same. Wars change and demands change. Combat in 2022, 2023 and 2024 are three different realities. 2024 will bring new changes. And We have to be prepared. We need new approaches, new strategies.”

“Today, a decision was taken on the need to change the leadership of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“I am deeply grateful to Valery Fedorovich for all his achievements and victories.”

General Zarzny was appointed Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in July 2021.

For almost two years he led the Ukrainian military resistance against Russian forces.

He has repeatedly called for more mobilization of Ukrainians, and in December said he welcomed “any method” to meet the military’s manpower needs.

In recent weeks, speculation had increased that General Zarzini’s removal from office was imminent. At the end of January, the Financial Times reported that the president had offered the general a new position, but he had refused.