Zelensky announces the replacement of the army chief after months of friction. Both have released separate statements in which they agree that the new phase of the war, with a boost from the Russian initiative, requires new leadership.

Zelensky and Zaluzhni have maintained important differences since the beginning of the Russian invasion, in February 2022. The president was facing a fracture in the country at the worst moment, when Russia has once again taken the initiative on the war front, and when the arms supply of its Western allies is declining.