WASHINGTON, January 31. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Gen. Valery Zaluzhny will remain in his post for now, but President Vladimir Zelensky has already decided to fire him, The Washington Post daily said.
The newspaper reported citing senior officials in Kiev familiar with the conversation between the top general and the president, that at a January 29 meeting, Zelensky informed Zaluzhny of his intention to give him the ax.
The commander "remains in his post for now," however "a formal presidential decree is expected to confirm his ousting." According to the person familiar with the conversation, Zelensky told Zaluzhny that "Ukrainians have grown tired of war" and that Kiev’s "international backers have also slowed military assistance." And therefore, the new commander is likely to "rejuvenate the situation." Some senior members of Zaluzhny’s team "are also expected to be removed."
During their meeting on Monday, the commander and the president clashed over "how many soldiers Ukraine needs to mobilize this year," the newspaper claimed. Zaluzhny was reported to have proposed mobilizing 500,000 troops, but Zelensky considered this figure to be impractical "given the scarcity of uniforms, guns and training facilities and potential challenges related to recruitment." Moreover, Kiev "lacks the funds to pay so many new conscripts."
It was also reported that Zaluzhny had been "offered another post" but the general "declined any plans to retire from the military." Zelensky’s spokesman, Sergey Nikiforov, did not immediately reply to requests from The Washington Post to provide "any updated comment."
On Monday, Borislav Bereza, a former member of the Verkhovna Rada parliament, said that Zaluzhny had been dismissed from his post as Ukraine’s military commander. Nikiforov said on the same day that Zelensky had not fired Zaluzhny. The Ukrainian media and social networks are rampant with speculation about the general’s future.