The recent military difficulties in kyiv, the slowdown in Western aid, the debates around the possible mobilization of 500,000 additional men to fight on the front have given rise to a certain fatigue and dissension in Ukraine.
To revive the war effort, the Ukrainian president assured that
“a new start”
was necessary, implying planning a major reshuffle of the country's civil and military authorities.
“A reset, a new start is necessary
,” he said in an interview with Italian public television channel
Rai News
.
"I have something serious in mind, which concerns not just one man, but the general direction of the country's leaders
. "
A reference to the anticipated departure of the commander of the Ukrainian army, General Zalouzhny, who has led the defense of the territory against Russia since February 24, 2022. According to sources cited in particular by the
Washington Post
or the
Financial Times
, the Ukrainian president would have his dismissal has already been decided, but his successor is not yet known, even if several names are circulating.
Volodymyr Zelensky thus seems to suggest that several senior officials could be replaced, beyond the emblematic case of Commander-in-Chief Zalouzhny.
His closest deputy, the chief of staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, Serhiy Shaptala, could also leave his post, according to the daily
Ukrainska Pravda
, which specifies that the future of
"all other"
members of the state -major is also
“uncertain”
.
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“When I talk about [new beginning], what I mean is the replacement of a series of leaders, and not only in the army
,” Zelensky also told Italian television, suggesting that the dismissals could extend beyond the circle of the Ukrainian armed forces alone.
“If we want to win, we all have to push in the same direction, be convinced of victory, we can't get discouraged, give up, we have to have good positive energy... that's why I talks about restart, replacement
,” he also added.
“European armies are not ready”
The Ukrainian head of state was also optimistic about Ukraine's ability to defend itself.
“Approximately 26% of the national territory is still under occupation but we see that the Russian army is unable to advance significantly.
We stopped them
,” he said.
“Today the country knows what war is [...], the first days were very different, people were very afraid [...], now it's different, we started to defend our earth and our families.
We had no alternative.”
A relative optimism which contrasts with the more alarmist declarations of General Zaloujny.
“We face reduced military support from our key allies, who are grappling with their own political tensions.
In Ukraine, the army is struggling to find new volunteers.
To continue fighting the 600,000 men of the Russian troops and allow the exhausted soldiers [to be relieved], it would be necessary to mobilize 450,000 to 500,000 people
,” explained the commander in the hot seat on February 1.
The military leader has been defending the launch of a new mobilization for several months, but the bill intended for this purpose, criticized and unpopular, was withdrawn from the parliamentary debates in the Rada.
During this interview, Volodymyr Zelensky also warned European countries of the possibility of direct conflict with Russia.
“War can happen because we are dealing with Putin
,” he said.
“And when it arrives, no one will be ready, the European armies are not ready, it will be a shock.”