Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ousted his commander-in-chief, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, after months of growing wartime tensions.
Zaluzhny led the Ukrainian military through efforts to fend off Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, working closely with western allies to secure key military aid. But tensions emerged between Zaluzhny and Zelensky in recent months after Ukraine’s counteroffensive last year failed to secure major victories.
“I met with General Valerii Zaluzhnyi. I thanked him for the two years of defending Ukraine. We discussed the renewal that the Armed Forces of Ukraine require. We also discussed who could be part of the renewed leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The time for such a renewal is now,” Zelensky said Thursday on Twitter. “I proposed to General Zaluzhnyi to remain part of the team.”