Ukrainian Military Commander Speaks Out as Zelenskyy Considers Firing Him
The Facts
Ukraine's top military commander, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, published an opinion piece for CNN on Thursday calling for "a new philosophy of training and warfare" to deal with limited resources. This comes amid rumors that Pres. Zelenskyy will fire Zaluzhnyi due to differences of opinion regarding military leadership.
Zaluzhnyi further stated that the "central driver of this war is the development of unmanned weapons systems," adding that while the "mastery of such technologies is key," Ukraine must also reckon with its lack of personnel staffing in the military.
The Spin
Narrative A
The only reason General Zaluzhnyi could justifiably be removed is his failed counteroffensive. However, there's likely no other military leader in the country who could have done a better job, and his military qualities far outweigh the negative, petty differences he has with Zelenskyy. Ukraine has developed an incredibly successful defensive position— one that has remained strong due to Zaluzhnyi's ability to boost soldier's morale and continue to train new soldiers. Firing him would have no positive outcomes, but it could have negative ones.
Narrative B
First and foremost, President Zelenskyy has made no decision yet regarding Zaluzhnyi's future in the military. However, there are multiple reasons for Zelenskyy to consider dismissing him, including his creation of a charitable foundation in 2022 — which has been seen as the potential beginning of a political party to challenge the president. It's true that the majority of Ukrainians are against firing Zaluzhnyi, which is why Zelenskyy has taken a cautious approach.
