KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday the time had come to change the country’s military leadership in the war against Russia, replacing army chief General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.
Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said separately that the decision had been taken to change the military leadership.
The statements follow days of speculation that Zelenskyi was considering dismissing his popular army chief, who is seen by many Ukrainians as a national hero for overseeing the war effort since February 2022.
Zelenskiy said in his statement he had met with Zaluzhnyi.
“We discussed what renewal the Armed Forces of Ukraine need. We also discussed who could be in the renewed leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The time for this renewal is now,” he said.
He had asked the general to remain “on his team,” he added.
In his own statement, Zaluzhnyi said he had had an “important and serious conversation” with Zelenskiy and that a decision had been made to change battlefield tactics and strategy.
“The tasks of 2022 are different from the tasks of 2024. Therefore, everyone must change and adapt to new realities as well. To win together too,” his statement said.
The two statements were published within moments of one another, suggesting that the two most prominent wartime figures in Ukraine had coordinated closely to put on a display of unity.
The military shakeup comes at a difficult time for Ukraine on the battlefield with troops facing acute ammunition shortages with vital military assistance held up in the United States.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash and Dan Peleschuk; Tom Balmforth; editing by)
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