BREAKING: Zelensky Fires Popular Head of Military

This just in: In a major shake up, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has just fired his head of military, General Valery Zaluzhny.

His replacement will be Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s land forces commander.

Zelensky had clashed with Zaluzhny over frontline strategy, sparking speculation that the general – an incredibly popular figure in Ukraine – would be dropped soon.

Zelensky’s announcement marks the most significant change in Ukraine’s military leadership since the beginning of the war.

Take a look:

BREAKING: Zelensky FIRES popular head of Ukrainian Military, Valerii Zaluzhnyi

Appoints General Syrsky https://t.co/t26s6pWC5uhttps://t.co/t26s6pWC5u

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 8, 2024

#BREAKING:🔥UKRAINE IN CHAOS🔥 Zelensky Fires Top General – Valery Zaluzhny is out, replaced by Oleksandr Syrskyi. This after Ukraine 2014 coup mastermind and Zionist Victoria Nuland flew to Ukraine to help her fellow Zionist Zelensky stay in power when Zaluzhny refused to… pic.twitter.com/EiFiIo3aEF

— Online Shogun (@online_shogun) February 8, 2024

Zelensky announced his decision to fire Zaluzhny on X, thanking him for 2 years of service:

I met with General Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
I thanked him for the two years of defending Ukraine.
We discussed the renewal that the Armed Forces of Ukraine require.
We also discussed who could be part of the renewed leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The time for such a renewal… pic.twitter.com/tMnUEZ3BCX

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 8, 2024

CNN reported:

President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the dismissal of Ukraine’s top commander, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in the biggest military shakeup since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion almost two years ago.

The president’s move follows tensions between Zelensky and his hugely popular military chief after the failure of Ukraine’s much-vaunted counteroffensive, and with Ukraine facing a renewed Russian onslaught, manpower and ammunition shortages, and US aid stalled in Congress.

In a Telegram post sent shortly before the formal announcement, Zelensky said he held a meeting with Zaluzhnyi, and “discussed what kind of renewal the Armed Forces of Ukraine need.”

“The time for such a renewal is now,” Zelensky wrote.

Zaluzhnyi’s replacement will be Oleksandr Syrskyi, who since 2019 has served as the Commander of Ukrainian Land Forces.

Zaluzhnyi wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday that “the tasks of 2022 are different from those of 2024.

“Therefore, everyone must change and adapt to the new realities as well. [We] have just met with the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. It was an important and serious conversation. It was decided that we need to change our approaches and strategy.”

Zaluzhny earned a name for himself in Ukraine, but rumors had been swirling that Zelensky was about to replace him.

Express UK noted:

Zaluzhny is one of the most popular figures in Ukraine due to his efforts in the war against Russia‘s invasion.

But his public disagreements with the Ukrainian President over Kyiv’s underwhelming counteroffensive in 2023 and plans to mobilise another 500,000 Ukrainians have resulted in his dismissal.

In January, it was reported that Zelensky had decided to fire Zaluzhny, only to seemingly U-turn at the last.

After rumours circulated suggesting that Zaluznhy could be relieved of his duties, he penned an op-ed for CNN.

In what seemed to be a subtle dig at Zelensky, the general urged Kyiv’s leaders to “seize the moment” – referring to Zelensky’s refusal to mobilise 500,000 more troops.

Zaluzhny added: “We must acknowledge the significant advantage enjoyed by the enemy in mobilising human resources and how that compares with the inability of state institutions in Ukraine to improve the manpower levels of our armed forces without the use of unpopular measures.”