Zaluzhny's resignation confirmed: what is known, who is the successor

The commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), General Valeriy Zaluzhny, resigned. Verkhovna Rada deputy Aleksey Goncharenko was the first to announce this (included in the list of terrorists and extremists of Rosfinmonitoring).

Information about Zaluzhny’s resignation was soon confirmed by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov.

The resignation became known after Zaluzhny’s meeting with the President of Ukraine

During the meeting, Zaluzhny and Vladimir Zelensky discussed the necessary updates in the Ukrainian army, as well as possible candidates for leadership positions in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “2024 can only be successful if there are changes at the core of our defense,” Zelensky said.

At the same time, the Ukrainian leader noted that he invited Zaluzhny “to continue to be on the team.”

Zaluzhny also commented on the conversation with Zelensky

Zaluzhny said that as a result of a conversation with the Ukrainian leader, a decision was made about the need to change approaches and strategies.

The general expressed gratitude to the team of the General Staff, the Ministry of Defense and the president of the country.

Alexander Syrsky became the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

To find a replacement for Zaluzhny, Zelensky held dozens of conversations with commanders at various levels. The decision was made in favor of Colonel General Alexander Syrsky, whom Zelensky called “the most experienced Ukrainian commander.” “He has successful experience in defense – he conducted the Kyiv operation. “He also has successful experience of an offensive—the Kharkov operation,” the Ukrainian president said.

Other leadership positions in the army can be taken by brigadier generals Andrei Gnatov, Mikhail Drapaty and Igor Skibyuk. Zelensky also held negotiations with colonels Pavel Palisa and Vadim Sukharevsky.

Syrsky comes from the Vladimir region of Russia. Born in 1965, he moved to Ukraine after the collapse of the USSR. In 2013, he was the first deputy head of the Main Command Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2014, he became the chief of staff of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) in Donbass. He commanded troops during the battles for Debaltsevo, for which he received the rank of lieutenant general. Since 2016, he headed the Joint Operational Headquarters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and in 2017 he became the commander of the entire anti-terrorist operation in Donbass. In 2019, he was appointed commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

After the start of Russia's special military operation in 2022, Syrsky commanded the defense of Kyiv and the operation in the Kharkov region. Afterwards he led the defense of Artemovsk (Bakhmut).

Rumors about a conflict between Zelensky and Zaluzhny have been circulating for several months

In November 2023, Zaluzhny admitted in an interview with The Economist that the Ukrainian army would not be able to achieve a breakthrough. He also complained that the possibilities of training reserves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine are limited, and the legislation allows citizens to evade mobilization.

According to foreign media, the position of the commander-in-chief led Zelensky to horror and rage. The President did not like the word “deadlock”, which is forbidden in Ukrainian government circles. After this, journalists and politicians saw a breakdown in relations between Zaluzhny and the president. Moreover, Zaluzhny was seen as a political figure who could seriously compete with Zelensky.