Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny has reportedly been told by President Volodymyr Zelensky that he was to be dismissed, the Financial Times has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The newspaper's sources claimed that Zaluzhny was offered a position as a defense adviser instead, though Zelensky supposedly made clear that the general would be let go from his current position regardless of whether he took that offer or not.
The sources also alleged that Zaluzhny’s ousting may not take place immediately, after speculations about his impending dismissal surfaced in the media, even though Zelensky has supposedly already made up his mind on this matter.
Rumors and speculations about Zelensky moving to sack Zaluzhny started appearing in media outlets and on social media on Monday, though as of today Zaluzhny seems to be still leading the Ukrainian military.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Zelensky and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry both denied reports about Zaluzhny’s alleged dismissal.
Relations between Zaluzhny and Zelensky soured around the time when it became clear that the overhyped Ukrainian counteroffensive ended in a complete failure, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops for no tangible gains.
Claims about Zaluzhny being more popular than Zelensky among the Ukrainian troops also seem to lend credence to speculations about the Ukrainian president regarding his commander-in-chief as a potential political rival.