Zelensky just made big changes in Ukraine's military leadership but what's the backstory?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has replaced the Commander-in-Chief of the country's armed forces General Valerii Zaluzhnyi after weeks of speculation that the man who had been defending Ukraine from Russia was going to be sacked from his job.

"Starting today, a new management team will take over the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Zelensky explained on January 8th, adding that the two had a "frank conversation" about the changes that were needed according to BBC News.

Photo Credit: Twitter @ZelenskyyUa

BBC News also reported the decision to remove General Zaluzhnyi was one of the biggest changes in military leadership in Ukraine since the Russian invasion of the country began in February 2022. However, Zelensky gave a bit of insight into why he made the choice.

The Ukrianian President also explained that the decision wasn't based on politics but rather on the needs of the armed forces and the experience of its commanders. "The army's actions must become much more technologically advanced. The generalship must be reset," Zelensky said.

Rumors had been whispered by international media for weeks that Zelensky was considering replacing the country’s Commander-in-Chief, rumors which seemed to be all but confirmed in the preceding days before the decision to remove Zaluzhnyi was announced. 

Zelensky had been at odds with the Commander-in-Chief of the country’s armed forces ever since he failed to make significant progress during Kyiv’s 2023 summer counteroffensive according to reporting from CNN. 

Ukraine’s popular wartime general was allegedly called to a meeting at the presidential office on January 29th and was informed that he was being fired from his position as the country’s top general according to two unnamed officials. 

No official announcement was made and rumors of the meeting were dismissed by Kyiv, but one source told CNN that the world could expect Zaluzhnyi’s dismissal from his post via presidential decree. However, that announcment didn't come until the following week. 

Zaluzhnyi has been in charge of Ukraine's military forces since July 2021 and led the country’s effort to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion since the first day troops crossed into Ukraine. He’s also been the architect of many of Ukraine's major victories. 

However, there have been indications that the issues between Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky might be traced back to an interview in November 2023 that Zaluzhnyi had with The Economist in which he revealed that the war had reached a stalemate. 

“Just like in the first world war we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate,” Zaluzhnyi explained to The Economist before adding that there would not “most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough.”

There was also the alleged issue of disagreements when it came to military strategy and the country's mobilization requirements according to the Washington Post. Zaluzhnyi reportedly requested the mobilization of 500,000 recruits, a number Zelensky thought was impractical. 

Whatever the reason for the rift between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi, it seemed that Ukraine would have a new Commander-on-Chief based on comments Zelensky made in an interview with the Italian news outlet Rai News 24 TV on February 4th.

Zelensky confirmed the rumors that he had been thinking about replacing the country’s current military leadership and explained that a new beginning was needed and that he planned on removing more than just one person. 

“A reset, a new beginning is necessary,” Zelensky explained according to the New York Times, “I have something serious in mind, which is not about a single person but about the direction of the country’s leadership.” 

The Kyiv Post reported that Zelensky explained he was planning a shakeup that would affect more than just the country’s military leadership, and indicated a broader overhaul that included senior government officials was needed. 

“When we talk about this, I mean the replacement of a number of senior officials of the state, not only in a separate sector, such as the military,” Zelensky said. "I am thinking about this replacement [of Zaluzhnyi], but we cannot say that we have replaced one person.”

“If we want to win we must all push in the same direction, convinced of victory, we cannot be discouraged, let ourselves down, we must have the right positive energy... That’s why I’m talking about restarting, replacement,” Zelensky added. 

It was not clear which senior government officials would be removed from their posts nor is it clear who Zelensky might replace Zaluzhnyi with as the country’s top general, but The Washington Post suggested one leading candidate could be Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov.

Budanov is Ukraine's military intelligence chief and choosing him could signal a move toward more asymmetrical warfare according to The Post, but Budanov doesn’t have a history as a commander of armies but rather one in special forces operations. 

However, Zelensky instead chose battle-hardened Ukrianian Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, to replace General Zaluzhnyi as the country's Commander-in-Chief. 

Syrskyi was credited with the defense of northern Ukraine in the opening months of the war as well as the successful 2022 Kharkiv offensive that recaptured large swaths of territory in Kharkiv Oblast.