MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. The former top commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny, has been awarded the title of hero, according to an executive order published on the Ukrainian president’s website.

Zaluzhny, who the mass media blames for the failure of Ukraine's summer ‘counteroffensive’, was dismissed on Thursday, February 8. However, information about his looming dismissal started to swirl as early as January 29. In the following days, both the media and social media sites continued to speculate about whether he would keep his post and whether the army would attempt to challenge the president’s moves.

Zaluzhny is also said to have presidential ambitions. Some local media outlets cite his rivalry with President Vladimir Zelensky as one of the reasons behind his resignation.