By the end of this week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might dismiss Valerii Zaluzhnyi from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Zelenskyy can fire Zaluzhnyi by the end of the week
According to one of CNN's sources, during a meeting at the OPU on January 29, Zelenskyy said he decided to dismiss the AFU Commander-in-Chief (CinC). According to the same CNN source, MOD chief Rustem Umierov was present at this meeting. The media added that the information is consistent with other reports, including The Washington Post and Financial Times.
CNN contacted the president's office on January 31 for further comment. But there was no answer. Like several other media outlets, CNN writes that instead of Zaluzhnyi, two applicants are being discussed for the CinC. The proposals were to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine chief, Gen Kyrylo Budanov and the Ukrainian Ground Forces commander, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi. The former evaded CNN's response to a question about a possible appointment, but the latter's office did not respond.
Mobilisation became the cause of disagreements between Zelenskyy and Zaluzhnyi
Citing sources in Kyiv, Western publications write about the conversation between Zelenskyy and Zaluzhnyi and the disagreements between Ukraine's President and AFU CinC.
This was reported by The Washington Post.
In particular, according to a high-ranking official familiar with this conversation, Zelenskyy informed Zaluzhnyi that he was firing him during a meeting on Monday, January 29.
During the conversation, Zelenskyy told Zaluzhnyi that Ukrainians were tired of the war, and international donors had also slowed down the provision of military aid, so perhaps a new commander would rejuvenate the situation, the source claims.
Two persons spoke to the publication on the condition of anonymity. According to one insider, senior members of Zaluzhnyi's staff are expected to be removed from their posts.
The differences between Zelenskyy and Zaluzhnyi have escalated over differing positions on how many soldiers Ukraine needs to mobilise in 2024, two people familiar with the talks said.
According to interlocutors, Zaluzhnyi proposed to mobilise about 500,000 military personnel. Zelenskyy considers this number impractical given the shortage of uniforms, weapons and training centres and potential problems related to recruiting.
Zaluzhnyi replied that Ukraine already lacks forces due to growing losses and needs to recruit more than 400,000 new soldiers, whom Russia plans to mobilise in its country. This was reported by one person familiar with the conversation.
According to a senior official, Zaluzhnyi was offered another position but refused and planned to resign from military service.
Another source of tension is what Zaluzhnyi requested from the Ukrainian military and what Kyiv's political leaders could get from allies and partners.
This was reported by a second source familiar with the meeting on January 29:
In conversations with the defense minister, he says: "It's not my job to get it, it's your job."
