Mere days after rumors of his impending sacking appeared in media outlets and online, Ukrainian armed forces commander-in-chief General Valery Zaluzhny finally got the boot.
Zaluzhny’s sacking has been largely regarded as a political move by his boss, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who frequently traded barbs with his top general during the past few months. Zelensky reportedly counts Zaluzhny among his potential political rivals.
While it remains to be seen whether Zaluzhny’s replacement Oleksandr Syrsky can help turn the tide of the Ukrainian conflict — where Kiev’s forces have been suffering constant humiliations since the last year’s disastrous counteroffensive — The Guardian already suggested that Syrsky’s appointment “is not seen as a radical departure.”
According to the newspaper, there does not seem to be any “alternative strategy” available to Kiev when the “central problem” of the Ukrainian leadership is securing the next tranche of US aid.
Syrsky has also had his fair share of failures and black marks on his record, and is seen by his critics in Ukraine as an officer “more willing to tolerate higher casualties” among his troops, the newspaper notes.