The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, on Monday issued the strongest criticism of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s decision to dismiss the heads of regional military commissions, Interfax-Ukraine reports, Reuters reports.

In August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed all regional military chiefs in the fight against corruption.

At the time, he said a government investigation into Ukrainian recruiting found abuses by officials, from illicit enrichment to smuggling men eligible for the draft despite wartime travel bans.

Answering journalists’ questions about whether this decision had an effect on mobilization, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhnyi complained about the dismissal of the chiefs of conscripts.

“They were professionals, knew how to do it, and disappeared,” Interfax Ukraine reports.

Zaluzhnym’s frank assessment of the realities on the battlefield in the November article of The Economist contrasts sharply with the unwavering optimism of Zelenskyi’s public speeches.

Recently, “Ukrainian Pravda” reported on a long line of rising tensions between the two men, citing several officials on condition of anonymity.

Asked by reporters to comment on the Defense Ministry’s recent plan to increase military recruitment, Zaluzhny said the old system should be returned.

“It is still too early to assess the recruitment. As for mobilization, it should not be increased, but returned to those personnel who worked before,” he said, Interfax-Ukraine quotes.

At the beginning of December, the Ukrainian press wrote that President Volodymyr Zelenskyi would “bypass” Commander Valery Zaluzhny in communication with some military commanders, making it difficult for the latter to fully manage the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

However, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, said that there is no reason to consider dismissing Valery Zaluzhny from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Initially, tens of thousands of volunteers eager to fight against Russia lined up at recruitment points, but now Ukraine is trying to recruit more people to replace those currently on the front lines.

In recent weeks, army recruiters have reportedly been going to gyms and resorts to hand out recruitment papers.

Zaluzhny’s remarks came a day after the media reported that a listening device had been found in the office where he was about to move.

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