Was Zaluzhny's firing instigated by tensions with US, Zelensky?
6 Min Read
Zaluzhny's essay for The Economist that the war in Ukraine reached a dead end infuriated Zelensky.
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Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeri Zaluzhny attends a commemorative event to mark the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2023 (AP)
It has been reported and confirmed that General Valery Zaluzhny has been removed from his post as commander-in-chief of Ukraine's military by President Volodymyr Zelensky - months after increasing tensions between the two and especially with US military leaders over how to conduct the counteroffensive against Russia, Politico reported.
Oleksandr Syrsky, who previously served as the head of Ukraine's ground forces, is announced as the new commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The US claimed that when Zelensky informed it of the decision to let him go, the US said it did not intend to be involved, according to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan this week who said, "We've been clear, we're just not going to get embroiled in that particular decision. We have indicated that directly to the Ukrainian president."
An anonymous senior Ukrainian military officer also said that criticism toward Zaluzhny was also that he allegedly spends “a lot of time on Facebook showing off how he is doing something."
Zaluzhny’s spokesperson stated, when asked if the Pentagon voiced dissatisfaction regarding how he conducted the counteroffensive, that his office was unaware of these concerns.
The tension between Zelensky and the now ex-commander was over increasing manpower losses, the failure of the counteroffensive, and decreasing amounts of weapons and ammunition, Politico revealed.
Read next: Ukraine's chief of staff warns Zelensky huge losses on the way: WashPo
This comes two days after reports indicated that employees of a Ukrainian arms company collaborated with Defense Ministry officials to misappropriate nearly $40 million intended for purchasing 100,000 mortar shells for the conflict with Russia, according to Ukraine's security service (SBU).
Good underdog, bad apple
Last week, US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh revealed that another reason why Zelensky would want Zaluzhny out was due to his alleged involvement in secret talks with Western officials about pursuing a ceasefire with Russia.
Austrian military analyst Tom Cooper explained that Zaluzhny was also criticized for not transforming the Ukrainian military into a Western-style unit, not advancing logistics, and not allowing troops on the frontline to rest.
"After two years since the all-out invasion, none of these is working really well, and improvements observed so far remain relatively minimal," he said, adding, "Some of the weakest generals have been kept and better ones left idle. It is not clear whose fault this is."
"Zaluzhny is the best motivator. What he misses in skills and management knowledge he makes up for in character."
The ex-commander did, however, put the Ukrainian military in a positive spotlight with the US after patching up a relationship with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and senior Western generals, which brought a flood of military support for the last two years.
Glen Grant, a former British officer and a military expert with the Riga-based Baltic Security Foundation, clarified, “The army has fought amazingly under Zaluzhny but he has been poorly supported by the government and parliament,” pointing to tensions over an impeded mobilization law that Zaluzhny wants to amp up troops which is politically dangerous.
"This was not the way to do it. It was impossible, but the position of the commander in chief was a bit arrogant: ‘Let's start a brawl, and then we'll see,'" the anonymous Ukrainian officer said.
Corruption has been a longstanding issue in Ukraine and has persisted over several decades but has particularly exacerbated after the country gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Barking up the wrong tree
Regarding the strategy followed to conduct the counteroffensive during Zaluzhny's time, the US requested a major move focused on one area where a breakthrough was thought possible, but Ukraine instead conducted several moves across the front thinking it would be difficult for the Russians to reinforce many at once.
An anonymous White House military advisor said that “it became pretty clear over the course of the offensive that Ukrainians just weren't interested in U.S. advice, and they generally concluded that we have nothing to offer them advice-wise," noting that the issue was that the US didn’t have experience fighting the kind of war the Ukrainians were conducting.
Read more: Zaluzhny vs Zelensky: How firing army chief will make President weaker
The advisor stressed that although Zaluzhny was the one who kept being blamed, he was also “hamstrung by Zelensky... and so the U.S. kept yelling at the wrong person."
The Ukrainian officer warns that the current “war of attrition is a very, very bad choice for Ukraine” and that it should go with an “asymmetric” approach.
What added more fuel to the fire was Zaluzhny's essay to The Economist that the war reached a dead end, which infuriated Zelensky and made him run to assure allies that this information was wrong.
Volodymyr Fesenko, head analyst of the Kiev-based Penta Center of Political Research, said that irritation was clear regarding Zaluzhny’s “entourage openly and publicly discuss[ing] Zaluzhny's presidential prospects,” making him a challenge for the President.
“This is not a power struggle,” he continued, “but if he does not fire Zaluzhny, after a certain time a dual power will begin to emerge. And this is already unacceptable and will be a challenge for Zelenskyy. There are challenges for him, political risks,” as the two “cannot coexist".
Biting the bullet
Zaluzhny then published an op-ed this month with CNN days after reports that he was called into Zelensky’s office to be informed of his cut-off, in which he said that the military requires new training and new weapons to take advantage of fielding new, lethal drone capabilities.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to this update by saying that this means “things are not going well” in Ukraine.
Mykola Bielieskov, a senior military analyst with the Come Back Alive Charity Foundation which provides the Ukrainian army with supplies, said, “No matter how events develop in terms of the top management shuffle, the key challenge for Ukraine remains unchanged — it is the development and implementation of a high-quality military strategy in 2024.”
As per the US advisor, a real challenge still remains for Russia to continue its operation in grinding down Ukrainian troops until Ukraine has to “be forced to negotiate from an increasingly disadvantageous position.”
