The replacement of Ukrainian general Valery Zalouzhny by Oleksandr Syrsky as commander-in-chief of Ukrainian forces will not change the course of the conflict with Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
“We do not believe that these are factors that can change the course of the special military operation.
This will continue until the objectives are achieved
,” Dmitri Peskov told the press during his daily briefing.
To discover
Follow information on the war in Ukraine with the Figaro application
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the dismissal of Valery Zalouzhny, commander-in-chief of Ukrainian forces since July 2021, amid growing disagreements between the two men.
According to highly placed Ukrainian sources, Volodymyr Zelensky and his entourage have for months criticized Valery Zalouzhny and his staff for the lack of progress on the front, after a failed summer counter-offensive in 2023.
Crumbling Western support
Some media also claim that the presidency takes a dim view of the general's popularity, at a time when that of Volodymyr Zelensky is no longer at its peak.
Volodymyr Zelensky appointed General Oleksandr Syrsky as his replacement, but he has neither the popularity nor the notoriety of his predecessor.
The Ukrainian president immediately asked the new commander of the armies for a
“realistic”
battle plan for 2024, at a time when Kiev is worried about the erosion of Western support caused by internal dissensions in the United States and within the European Union.
Russia has also made several changes within its general staff, notably after the humiliating retreat in Ukraine from the Kharkiv region (north-east) in September 2022 and after the abortive Wagner mutiny in June 2023.