The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhnyi could be dismissed on January 29, sources inform. Independent Kyiv and several other Ukrainian mass media. No official decree has yet been published on the website of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
Kyiv Independent’s source at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that Zaluzhny was released.
Neither Zaluzhnyi nor Zelenskyi have yet made public comments.
On January 29, at 7:50 p.m., Zelenskyi’s spokesman, Serhiy Nikiforov, told the Kyiv Independent that Zaluzhnyi was not fired.
This news was first reported early in the evening of January 29 by a group of anonymous channels in Telegram, including some of them reported information coming from the Office of the President of Ukraine, and Kyiv Independent noted that some Telegram channels report fake news.
Ukrainian mass media, including the Kyiv Independent, tried to confirm information about the dismissal of the top commander of the Armed Forces. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, gave conflicting answers.
Zaluzhny held the post of Commander-in-Chief from July 2021. Information about some disagreements between Zaluzhny and Zelensky first appeared in November 2023.
The supposed rift between the two drew heightened attention after Zaluzhnyi’s martial law interview with The Economist on Nov. 1, in which he said Ukraine was in danger of being trapped in a protracted war.
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A few days later, Zelensky dismissed the idea of a stalemate in the war, while his diplomatic adviser called Zaluzhny’s comments “very strange” and suggested they might be playing Russia’s games.
On December 4, “Ukrainian Pravda” reported, citing anonymous sources, that Zelenskyi would “bypass” Zaluzhnyi in communication with some military commanders. Therefore, later the adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Mykhailo Podolyak stated that there is no reason to consider the dismissal of Valery Zaluzhny from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
At a press conference on December 19, Zelensky insisted that he has a working relationship with Valery Zaluzhny.
“Why should I help someone by developing this topic? I have a working relationship with Zaluzhnyi,” the head of state said.
He said it’s not about personal relationships, it’s about accountability and strategy.
Source: Hot News
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