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After almost two years of war, Ukraine is struggling with many problems.
President Zelensky reacts.
His top military leader must go.
Kiev – Ukraine's next military chief is Oleksandr Syrskyj.
The commander of the Ukrainian ground forces since the beginning of the Ukrainian war takes over the office after President Volodymyr Zelenskyj officially replaced General Valery Zalushnyj.
The risky leadership reshuffle is likely to be unpopular among troops worn down by nearly two years of war in Ukraine.
Zelensky told Saluzhny 10 days ago that he was being fired, but the president's office initially denied that the commander-in-chief had been fired.
Then Zelensky delayed issuing a formal order or announcing a successor, and even after Syrsky's appointment on Thursday, the president made no statement, saying only that change was necessary.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and Oleksandr Syrsky, left, on September 14, 2022 in Izium, Kharkiv Region, Ukraine.
© Ukrainian Presidential Press Off/Imago
Zelenskyj replaces military leadership in Ukraine – Saluzhnyj has to go
But it is unclear what change Syrskyj will – or can – bring about.
Zelensky thought Saluzhny's plans for this year were too ambitious given Ukraine's limited resources, according to two people familiar with the president's thinking.
For the past two years, however, Syrsky has essentially served as the military's second in command.
Ukraine is expected to focus more on defense this year rather than launching another full-scale counteroffensive, but it still faces a better-armed and larger Russian force.
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As commander of ground forces, Syrsky, 58, was credited with responsible for the defense of Kiev in the first month of the war and the successful counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region in the fall of 2022.
In a statement, Zelensky praised his new commander and pointed to these successes.
“He has successful defensive experience, especially in the Kiev defense operation,” the president said.
“He also has successful offensive experience, mainly in the operation to liberate Kharkiv (…) The year 2024 can be successful for Ukraine only if the basis of our defense, namely the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is effectively changed.”
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Some Ukrainian soldiers call Syrsky a “butcher”
However, the decision to appoint Syrsky as commander-in-chief is likely to provoke a backlash from troops in the field.
Syrsky is particularly unpopular among rank-and-file soldiers because he is seen by many as a Soviet commander who kept troops under fire for far too long in the eastern city of Bakhmut, which eventually fell under Russian control.
Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were killed and many more wounded defending the city, which was of limited strategic value.
Some Ukrainian soldiers call Syrsky a “butcher.”
“I only know what I heard from my subordinates,” said a senior military official, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
“A hundred percent of them have no respect for him because they believe he doesn’t care about soldiers’ lives.” “Compared to Saluzhny, he receives much less support,” the person added.
The relationship between Zelensky and Zalushny has been tense for months
Relations between Zelensky and Zalushny have been strained for months, in part because of a failed 2023 counteroffensive that failed to make significant territorial gains.
There has also been a recent disagreement over how many soldiers Ukraine needs to mobilize as reinforcements this year.
Zelensky also viewed Saluzhny as a possible political rival and a threat because of his high popularity ratings, U.S. and Ukrainian officials said.
Oleksandr Syrsky will be the new commander-in-chief of Ukraine.
© Anastasia Vlasova/The Washington Post
Zelensky had publicly contradicted Saluzhny for saying in the fall that the war had become a "stalemate" - although that assessment is now widely accepted as fact among military analysts.
And while Zalushnyj pushed for the mobilization of almost 500,000 new soldiers, Zelenskyy has publicly and privately resisted this high number.
The Ukrainian president said he was not yet convinced that this was necessary, raising the question of whether Ukraine could afford the new soldiers.
A soldier said the firing of Saluzhny, who is popular in Ukraine among both soldiers and civilians, is likely to further deter people from volunteering to fight.
Zelensky said other commanders are being considered for promotions as several generals are set to be fired along with Saluzhny.
Zelensky said he had asked Saluzhny to stay as part of the “team of the Ukrainian state of the future.”
It is unclear what role Saluzhny will play in the future.
According to two people familiar with the matter, Saluzhny, 50, was offered Ukraine's ambassadorship to Britain but declined because it is a civilian post.
Saluzhny, a career soldier, cannot leave the military while Ukraine is under martial law, one of the people said.
In posts on Zelensky and Zalushny's social media accounts, the two men posed shaking hands and smiling.
“A decision has been made on the need to change approaches and strategies,” Zalushnyy wrote.
In his post, Zelensky thanked Saluzhny for “two years of protecting Ukraine.”
He added that at their meeting on Thursday they discussed “updated leadership” for the Ukrainian military.
“The time for such an update is now,” Zelensky wrote.
However, many soldiers at the front were dissatisfied with Zelensky's explanation for Saluzhny's dismissal.
“There was a very, very strong negative reaction to his dismissal because, it seems to us, there were no real reasons for the dismissal,” said a Ukrainian officer fighting in the southeastern Zaporizhia region.
“But of course that will really hit the motivation, really hit it.
Undoubtedly.
There is less and less motivation.
People are increasingly working and fighting like automatons, [instead of] out of motivation.
This will be reflected in effectiveness.”
Can Syrskyj improve the situation on the front?
It is unclear how Syrsky's appointment will help improve Ukraine's increasingly dangerous battlefield situation.
Russia has regained the strategic initiative and increased its attacks along the front line.
Commanders have said they desperately need troops, particularly infantry troops, to stand in the front trenches to repel Russian attacks.
Ukraine is also struggling with ammunition shortages, and a $60 billion security assistance package proposed by President Biden has stalled in Congress.
US officials did not comment on the change at the top of the command.
“President Zelensky is the commander in chief of his armed forces,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
“He can decide who should take over the leadership of the armed forces.
This is what civilian control is all about.
We know that. And we will work with whoever he puts in charge of his military.”
Russian-born Syrsky completed his Soviet military training in Moscow in 1982, although he says he considers Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, his home.
Unlike Salushny, who never served in the Soviet military, Syrsky began his military service in 1986 and worked his way up from platoon leader to commander of Ukraine's 72nd Mechanized Brigade.
Until 2013, he was deputy head of the main command center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was responsible for cooperation with NATO and reforming the military according to the alliance's standards.
To some U.S. officials, who had long sensed mistrust between Salushny and Zelensky, Syrsky seemed more impressive and inspiring as a classic combat soldier.
Accordingly, he demonstrated a clear understanding of the implications on the battlefield when confronted with decisions he viewed as political.
“They have the freedom to decide how they conduct their operations,” said Celeste Wallander, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.
“We will give them our advice,” she added.
“I think we have a very strong relationship.
We have built a lot of credibility and trust between the US political leadership and the Ukrainian leadership, and military relations are also very good.”
However, Ukrainian military officials on the ground said they were particularly suspicious of Syrsky, precisely because he is seen as closer and more loyal to Zelensky and his administration chief Andriy Yermak.
“In a few months there will probably be some attempts to carry out attacks or something similar.
Because Syrskyj will follow Zelenskyj.
And Zelensky wants big victories,” said a major currently fighting in eastern Ukraine.
“I think there will be more ill-advised attacks,” he added.
“And holding on to areas that shouldn’t be held on.
For example, Bakhmut: instead of building a normal defense, building some fortifications and trenches, they simply put people through the meat grinder to prevent attacks.
I think we’re going to see more of this crap.”
Another commander was more direct, using a swear word to say that Ukrainian soldiers would be worse off as a result of the change - "because he will comply with all political demands in his military decisions."
About the author
Isabelle Khurshudyan
is a foreign correspondent based in Kyiv.
She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has worked at The Washington Post since 2014, where she previously covered the Washington Capitals as a Moscow bureau correspondent and as a sports reporter.
David L. Stern and Anastacia Galouchka in Kyiv and Dan Lamothe in Washington contributed to this report.
We are currently testing machine translations. This article was automatically translated from English into German.
This article was first published in English on February 9, 2024 at the “Washingtonpost.com” - as part of a cooperation, it is now also available in translation to readers of the IPPEN.MEDIA portals.