Following months of reports about a rift in Ukraine's political and military leadership, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who had led Ukraine's military since before the full-scale invasion. Zelensky replaced Zaluzhnyi with General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who had previously served as the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces and the

Following months of reports about a rift in Ukraine’s political and military leadership, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who had led Ukraine’s military since before the full-scale invasion.

Zelensky replaced Zaluzhnyi with General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who had previously served as the commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces and the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group fighting in the country’s east.

When announcing the decision, Zelensky called Syrskyi “the most experienced Ukrainian commander” and recalled the achievements attributed to him — the Battle of Kyiv in spring 2022 and the surprise counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast in September 2022.

Zelensky recently confirmed that he was planning a large-scale reset in the country’s leadership, not just the military one, and said that Ukraine needs “fresh energy.”

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