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Volodymyr Selenskyj: The Ukrainian president recently showed authoritarian tendencies
Photo: Hennadii Minchenko / imago images / Ukrinform
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Selenskyj, has pushed through personnel changes in the Ukrainian secret service and in the military.
For no apparent reason, the president surprisingly changed several leading military and intelligence officials.
On Thursday night, decrees dismissing the military operation in command in eastern Ukraine, the chief of staff and the chief of airborne troops were published.
At the same time, successors were appointed for the posts.
Army Commander-in-Chief Ruslan Khomchak had previously been dismissed and appointed first deputy secretary of the advisory National Security Council.
At the beginning of the week and last week, Zelenskyj had also filled several leading secret service posts, including that of the head of foreign intelligence.
A deputy attorney general resigned in the public prosecutor's office.
Did Zelenskyi want to fill leadership positions with more loyal followers?
One of the reasons given by the presidential office was a more stable and coordinated work of the security organs.
The dismissals were preceded in mid-July by the resignation of long-time Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, which observers regarded as forced.
With Denis Monastyrski he was replaced by a representative of the presidential party Servants of the People.
In the Ukrainian media there is speculation about whether Zelenskyi, who has recently shown authoritarian tendencies, would like to fill the leadership positions in the security organs with more loyal followers.
Government troops have been fighting against Russian-backed separatists in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014.
According to UN estimates, over 13,000 people have been killed since then.
An internationally mediated peace plan is on hold.
asc / dpa
