Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday his decision to replace Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, who had been Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since July 2021, with Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky.
Zelensky’s announcement capped weeks of speculation regarding whether he would dismiss Zaluzhny, whom he said he asked to remain a part “of the team of the Ukrainian state of the future,” and he noted in his announcement that other commanders are being considered for promotions as well.
His post said that he “thanked” Zaluzhny, 50, for “two years of protecting Ukraine.” He also stressed that “urgent changes” are needed in the Ukrainian army, though he did not specify any details of what that could entail.
The war is reaching its two-year anniversary while Russia continues to pound Ukraine aerially.
On Wednesday, Ukraine said Russian forces launched 64 drones and missiles at Ukraine, the second largest combined drone and missile attack this year, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Ukraine has relied on U.S. and Western military support to defend itself, though the U.S. has been unable to provide Kyiv with military capabilities this year as Congress has not yet passed President Joe Biden’s supplemental funding request from this fall.
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Republicans had sought to pressure Democrats and the administration into giving concessions on border security to pass the president’s requests, but those efforts have become entangled as well.
“If the U.S. stops support to Ukraine, we should be clear-eyed about the repercussions. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is not going to stop in his quest for power and control beyond Ukraine’s borders toward NATO,” deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said earlier this week. “If Putin attacks a NATO ally, we will find ourselves in direct conflict, as we are committed to defending every inch of NATO.”