The retired colonel of the US Ground Forces said that General Oleksandr Syrsky is an experienced commander. So he can change the course of the war.
Will Syrsky be able to change the course of the war
Volodymyr Zelensky, announcing the resignation of Valery Zaluzhny, said that changes are needed in the army. At the same time, Robert Hamilton explained that he had questions for Syrsky about how he would change the strategy of the war and whether he would succeed in becoming as popular among the people and the army as Zaluzhnyi.
Hamilton is an associate professor of Eurasian studies at the US Army War College. He specializes in security research in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
The retired colonel of the US Ground Forces said, answering the question whether the war in Ukraine needs a new approach, that he would ask a different question.
General Syrsky takes over the command. We know that Zaluzhny was very popular both among the Ukrainian public and in the Armed Forces. Will General Syrskyi be able to maintain this popularity and support of the Armed Forces with his war strategy, which remains to be seen, by the way? Zaluzhny was a remarkable figure in many ways, — said Robert Hamilton.
He also questioned whether a new strategic and operational approach is needed, as this entails other issues. In particular, about:
what type and amount of aid Ukraine needs,
when and how this assistance will be integrated into the Armed Forces of Ukraine,
how it will be used for warfare.
We are so focused on the land war that we forget that there is a naval war going on, which Ukraine is very good at dealing with.
retired colonel of the US Army.
He noted that Ukraine, without a navy, has displaced the Russian Black Sea Fleet from the western part of the Black Sea, and almost from Crimea. After all, some ships of the Russians are far in the East. In particular, in the port of Ochamchira in Abkhazia, which is not under the control of the Georgian government.
Ukraine and its partners should start looking at all areas of this war — on the ground, in the air, in the Black Sea. I think that General Syrskyi will be able to combine a multi-sectoral strategy and change the course of the war against Russia, achieving Ukraine's military goals, — Hamilton is convinced.
Will the replacement of the Commander-in-Chief affect the position of the US Congress
The retired colonel of the US Ground Forces said that the replacement of General Valery Zaluzhnyi is not necessarily a good process, but there is no need to panic. After all:
because of this, the processes within the Ukrainian national security apparatus will not be disrupted;
this does not mean that Ukraine will stop waging war seriously, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are not serious about winning the war;
it may mean that there is a difference of opinion on the approach to warfare.
General Syrskyi and President Zelenskyi will probably want to take a different approach and outline different ways out of the impasse. Let's see how it will look, — said the American colonel.
He also doubts that the personalities of Zaluzhnyi or Syrsky influence the attitude of the Pentagon.
I know that General Zaluzhny had very good relations with many representatives of the US military command and the West. General Syrsky is an experienced commander, an experienced general. "I suppose he can do the same," Hamilton said.
He also drew attention to the fact that Valery Zaluzhnyi deservedly had great trust in the early stages of the war. This happened due to the way he empowered subordinates and junior commanders.
