General on outer as Volodymyr Zelensky heads for ‘reset’ in war effort

Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that he is on the verge of dismissing the popular head of Ukraine’s armed forces as part of a sweeping change of senior officials.

President Volodymyr Zelensky talking with servicemen during his visit to the Zaporizhzhia region at the weekend. Picture: AFP

Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that he is on the verge of dismissing the popular head of Ukraine’s armed forces as part of a sweeping change of senior officials – a move that would probably anger many in the military.

“A reset, a new beginning is necessary,” the Ukrainian President told Italian media when asked about rumours that he ­intended to replace General Valery Zaluzhny. “When we talk about this, I mean the replacement of a whole number of senior government officials, not just in a particular sector, such as the military,” he said.

“If we want to win, we must all push in the same direction, convinced of victory. We cannot be discouraged, let ourselves down, we must have the right positive ­energy.”

Despite Ukraine’s unsuccessful summer counteroffensive, General Zaluzhny remains Ukraine’s most trusted public figure, with a rating of just over 90 per cent, ­according to opinion polls by the Kyiv International Institute of ­Sociology. Mr Zelensky is in second place with 77 per cent. The same pollster found that about three in four Ukrainians would disapprove of the dismissal.

Mr Zelensky is thought to have summoned the general to a meeting last week to offer him the chance to resign rather than be sacked – an offer he is said to have refused.

Armed forces chief General Valery Zaluzhny.

The rift between Mr Zelensky and General Zaluzhny came into the open in November when the general told The Economist that the war had reached a stalemate.

A spokesman for the President said the comment had caused “panic” among Ukraine’s Western allies. Mr Zelensky is also believed to be at odds with the general over the army’s reported demand for half a million new conscripts.

Replacing General Zaluzhny almost two years into the war would be massively unpopular with Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said. However, he said the army understood that any ­serious challenge to Mr Zelensky would play into Russia’s hands.

“I don’t expect a military coup. Ukrainian military people are quite disciplined and they understand that a rebellion during wartime is fraught with the danger of military defeat,” he said.

Many doubt that any replacement would be an improvement on General Zaluzhny. “What’s the new approach and who is out there to ensure it? I don’t see who would suggest a totally different strategy and make it work,” Ukrainian war correspondent Illia Ponomarenko wrote on X.

In the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian troops near the frontline were wary of a sudden change to the military leadership. “This dismissal would not be appropriate now, because on the field of battle you do not change commanders,” one soldier said.

Dismissing General Zaluzhny could make him a rival for the presidency. Although he has not given any indication that he has political ambitions, Mr Zelensky’s critics see him as an eventual ­replacement for the President.

Ukraine was due to hold presidential elections next month, but they have been postponed indefinitely under martial law that was imposed at the start of the war.

“If Zaluzhny is fired, a broad ­coalition of opposition forces will begin to form around him. He will acquire the informal status of a political alternative to Zelensky and a future candidate for the post of president,” Mr Fesenko said. ”

The Times