Zelensky prepares the renewal of the political and military leadership, including the head of the army

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed this Sunday that the information from last week about the possible replacement of the commander in chief of his Armed Forces, Valeri Zaluzhni, is true. Zelensky explained in an interview with Italian RAI television that the country needs the “renewal of the people who are supposed to lead Ukraine.”

Asked about the possible dismissal of Zaluzhni, the Ukrainian president answered bluntly for the first time: “When we talk about this, we talk about a rotation of a series of state leaders, not only in one sector, such as the military. I think about this relay [refiriéndose al jefe del ejército]but it cannot be said that only one person will be relieved.”

The newspaper Pravda ensure this monday that in addition to replacements in the Government, the Chief of the General Staff, Serhii Shaptala, will also be relieved. The changes, according to this newspaper, could become official this week.

Zaluzhni, usually not very active on social networks, has published two messages in recent days in which he wanted to underline his friendship with Shaptala. On January 29, there was a meeting between Zaluzhni and the president in which he asked him to resign, according to multiple political and journalistic sources. The general did not accept the proposal and at night he published a photograph with Shatpala that was interpreted as a sign that the military establishment remained united in the face of political power. Zaluzhni published a photo again this Monday with Shaptala to congratulate him on the anniversary: ​​“It will still be difficult for us, but we certainly have nothing to be ashamed of. “I am glad that in this life and in this war you were by my side, a person for whom Ukraine is above all.”

Zelensky also mentioned on RAI, although implicitly, the differences he has maintained with Zaluzhni due to the general's speech on the situation on the front, more pessimistic about the possibilities of recovering the territory: “If we want to win, everyone has to push.” In the same sense, convinced of victory, we cannot lose hope, we cannot give up, we have the right to have positive energy,” he told the Italian network. “That's why I'm talking about a restart, a replacement, but something serious, that doesn't just involve one person.”

The January 29 attempt to have Zaluzhni resign sparked a political storm in Ukraine against Zelensky. The general is a hero for the population, the only personality in the country who can rival the president in popularity. The power and strategic differences between the two have been making headlines for months. Last December, the kyiv International Institute of Sociology published a demographic study in which 72% of respondents disapproved of a possible replacement of Zaluzhni.

The middle net censorconsidered close to the head of the army, assured that the decision to dismiss him was also stopped after the consultations that Zelensky's team carried out between the governments of his main international allies.

Washington Post reported on February 2 that the Ukrainian presidency had notified the White House of plans to fire Zaluzhni. Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security adviser, said on February 4 that the United States would respect any decision Zelensky made about his Army chief.

The dismissal of Zaluzhni along with other important replacements would also allow Zelensky to reduce the feeling in public opinion that the decision is a settling of scores with the commander in chief. The discrepancies between the two have worsened, especially after the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive last summer and autumn.

The differences, however, already existed since the beginning of the Russian invasion. In February 2022, as journalist Simon Shuster tells in his recently published book The Showman Zelensky ruled out preparing his country for war until the last moment, when Zaluzhni was pressing for it because he assumed that war was imminent.

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