Explosive dismissal

Why Selensky’s “General of the People” had to go

Salushnyi was accorded hero status among the civilian population.

(Bild: AFP/picturedesk.com)

Dispute over the right strategy or offended vanity? In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Commander-in-Chief Valery Salushnyi were once considered a successful tandem, but on Thursday the military chief was dismissed. This is the background!

Selensky cites the need for a "new impetus" and a "comprehensive restart" as the reason for the reorganization of the army leadership.

Nevertheless, the juicy internal information continues to flow: according to this, a meeting had already taken place earlier at which the president had suggested that the head of the armed forces resign, but he had refused.

Valery Salushnyi

(Bild: AFP/picturedesk.com)

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Dismissed army chief more popular than Zelenskyi
Selensky apparently hesitated for a long time before dismissing the popular commander due to the negative public response. Observers see Salushnyj as the strategist behind the successful defense of Kiev in 2022 and the pushing back of Russian troops from other occupied territories.

Zelenskyi and Salushnyi were one heart and one soul at the start of the war.

(Bild: AFP)

The next general had to resign on Friday
The next bombshell followed on Friday: Major General Anatoly Barhilevych would be the new Chief of the General Staff, Zelensky announced in his evening video address. Barhilevych succeeds Serhiy Shaptala. The appointment was made at the suggestion of the new commander-in-chief Olexander Syrskyj. As a result, two of the most influential Ukrainian military figures in Ukrainian warfare were thrown out in one fell swoop this week.

Those involved also fueled speculation beforehand: Amid the dismissal rumors, Salushnyj circulated a joint photo with Shaptala on the latter's birthday. "It will still be very difficult for us, but nobody will have anything to be ashamed of," he wrote in the photo.

Selensky wants "fresh energy"
In an interview with Italian television, the president hinted at what is on his mind. "If we want to win, then we must all become leaders of victory," he said, calling for a "comprehensive new start". The head of state explained that he was not only concerned with replacing the military leadership. He repeated his call for a fresh start in his video message on Monday. Ukraine needs "strength and fresh energy" in order to win.

The president apparently missed this in Salushnyj after he had spoken of a stalemate in November in a much-noticed interview and an essay for the British magazine "Economist". "There will be no deep and beautiful breakthrough," Salushnyj emphasized at the time and was - at least to this day - proven right.

In doing so, the military shook up the president's claim that a reconquest of the territories occupied by Russia was both inevitable and possible. Zelensky subsequently publicly contradicted his commander-in-chief and indirectly accused the general of having political ambitions.

Reality proves the general right
But the reality is sobering. The Ukrainian summer offensive in the south of the country, which was launched with great expectations and Western military technology, has largely failed. Instead of advancing to the coast of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, the Ukrainian attacks became bogged down after a few kilometers in dense minefields, massive Russian artillery fire and drone attacks. To this day, Kiev has not really admitted its failure.

Another point of contention is the recruitment of soldiers. At the annual press conference in December, Zelensky publicly blamed the military leadership for increased mobilization.

Troops have personnel problems
The president cast even more doubt on the alleged need for half a million additional soldiers. "That is a very serious figure. I need more arguments to support it," he told the journalists present. The financing and purpose of such a high figure are unclear. Bills for mobilization measures are stuck in parliament. A solution to the troops' obvious personnel problem is not in sight.

Salushnyj therefore took the opportunity to take a swipe at the political leadership in another essay on the website of the US broadcaster CNN last Thursday. With regard to Russia's relatively successful recruitment measures, he wrote of the "inability of state institutions in Ukraine to increase the manpower of our armed forces without resorting to unpopular measures". He accused Zelensky of not wanting to take responsibility for the necessary measures out of fear of the people's anger.

A general of the people
Critics of Zelensky see another reason for Salushnyi's ouster on a personal level. In opinion polls, the ex-actor's popularity ratings have long lagged behind those of the army chief. In December, only 62 percent still trusted him. Salushnyj, on the other hand, had 88 percent of respondents behind him. Selenskyj cannot bear to share the stage with others, blaspheme observers such as military journalist Yuri Butussov.

Now the president's office seemed to be looking for a suitable moment. According to ex-parliamentary deputy Ihor Mossijtschuk, the risk of another defeat could serve as justification for the dismissal.

Salushnyj is accorded hero status among the civilian population.

(Bild: Andriy Andriyenko/AP/picturedesk.com)

It was about the loss of Avdiivka, i.e. the forced retreat from the city. The bad news from the front in the eastern Ukrainian industrial city makes an imminent conquest by Russian troops all the more likely.

TheKremlin is watching with relish
Moscow is watching the power struggle in Kiev with gleeful interest. For the Ukrainian defensive struggle against the Russian invasion, however, this conflict is a dangerous sideshow.

It is paralyzing the Ukrainian armed forces, and the resignation of General Salushnyi, who is popular with his subordinates, could also considerably dampen the motivation of the fighters on the front line. This would be a much more serious loss for the further course of the war than a withdrawal from the small town of Avdiivka.

With agency material