Russia has mocked Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky after he reportedly attempted – but failed – to remove Valery Zaluzhny as commander-in-chief.
As rumours swirl of a shake-up of Ukraine’s military, Zelensky reportedly asked General Zaluzhny to resign as head of the army on Monday night but he refused.
In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said a “lot of questions” remain about what exactly transpired.
“One thing remains obvious – the Kyiv regime has a lot of problems, things are not going well there,” he said.
He added: “It is obvious that the failed counter-offensive and the problems on the front are leading to growing contradictions among the representatives of this Kyiv regime.
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“These contradictions will grow as the special military operation continues to be successful.”
For weeks, relations have reportedly been strained between Zelensky and Zaluzhny due to Ukraine’s unsuccessful counterattack this summer, but even so, people were surprised to hear that the senior military figure might be sacked.
Ukrainian MP Oleksii Goncharenko, who is friends with the general, told The Guardian that Zaluzhny had stood his ground when Zelensky asked for his resignation.
Goncharenko put the fight down to a clash of personalities, saying: “Personally, I think this is a bad idea. There are not fundamental issues between them but Zelensky’s office has been concerned that Zaluzhny has been making political, not military statements.”
According to Goncharenko, after seeing how the public and global community react, Zelensky could still sack Zaluzhnyi and name a replacement if the defence minister agrees.
Following initial reports that Zaluzhny had been sacked weeks ago, Zelensky’s spokesperson said they were “definitely not” true, adding: “The president has not dismissed the commander-in-chief.”
At the time, Ukraine’s defence ministry took to Telegram, writing simply: “Dear journalists, we immediately answer everyone: No, this is not true”, with no further context.
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In December, Zelensky said he shared a “working relationship” with Zaluzhny but signalled he was not satisfied with the leadership of the country’s armed forces.
“I am waiting for very concrete things on the battlefield, I await their decisions,” he said at the time. “The strategy is clear; I want to see the details. I think that’s fair.”
Meanwhile, Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, is tipped to replace Oleksii Reznikov as defence minister. Earlier this year, Budanov was suggested for the role during a similar dismissal saga filled with speculation.
It’s unclear what a new military strategy would look like given Russia’s strong frontline positions. However, Ukraine’s most pressing issue remains convincing the US Congress to approve a £48 billion ($61 billion) military aid package from the US, which would secure weapons supply for over a year.
European Union leaders will meet at a summit on Thursday and reportedly focus on convincing Hungary, which has the closest ties to Russia among members of the bloc, to end its veto of a 50-billion-euro ($54 billion) package of war support for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has been approached for comment.
