MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky plans to dismiss a government minister and the commander of the counteroffensive (a high-ranking general, whose name is not disclosed), as well as to make a number of changes to the strategy of military operations by the onset of the winter season, Time magazine reports, citing unnamed officials in the Ukrainian leader's entourage.
According to the author of the article, Simon Shuster, Zelensky's aides "warned me to expect major changes in their military strategy and a major shake-up in the president's team before the winter sets in."
"At least one minister would need to be fired, along with a senior general in charge of the counteroffensive, they said, to ensure accountability for Ukraine's slow progress at the front," says Shuster.
One of the correspondent’s sources bluntly admitted that "we're not moving forward". At the same time, Zelensky is for the continuation of combat operations in winter and refuses to accept the possibility of freezing them, the article reads.
The Ukrainian army has been making unsuccessful offensive attempts since June 4. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on October 30 that Kiev had lost over 90,000 men killed and wounded, as well as about 600 tanks and 1,900 armored vehicles of various classes during this time. He said Ukraine had failed to achieve any tactically significant successes. On 15 October, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Ukrainian counter-offensive had completely failed, but Kiev was still preparing new active offensive operations at some sections of the frontline.