Did Zelensky Fire Ukraine Armed Forces Commander Zaluzhny? What We Know

The Ukrainian presidential office has rejected reports that Volodymyr Zelensky had removed his top general Valeriy Zaluzhny, after claims and counterclaims about his position that followed monthslong speculation of a rift between the two.

Zaluzhny has served as Ukraine's commander-in-chief since July 2021 but rumors, which first surfaced in November 2023, about disagreements between him and the president have grown.

In comments to The Economist published in November, Zaluzhny said Ukraine could be walking into the trap of a prolonged war, one he described as a "stalemate." Three days after the article appeared, Zelensky told a briefing that he disagreed with his commander's assessment.

Citing anonymous sources, Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported on December 4 that Zelensky was "bypassing" Zaluzhny in communication with some military commanders.

Following three months of rumors about a split between the two, social media and Ukrainian news outlets reported on Monday that Zaluzhny had been dismissed

However, when asked if this was true, Zelensky's spokesperson Sergii Nykyforov replied, "definitely not—the president has not dismissed the commander-in-chief," Ukrainska Pravda reported.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry posted on its Telegram social media channel, "dear journalists, we immediately answer everyone, no, this is not true", without any further comment. Newsweek has reached out to the Ukrainian presidential office.

Speculation of Zaluzhny's dismissal had started on Telegram channels including some claiming to have inside information from the president's office.

Ukrainian MP Oleksii Honcharenko wrote that the commander had "announced his resignation, but there is no decree yet." Former member of parliament Boryslav Bereza said that Zaluzhny had been "dismissed" citing presidential sources.

These two claims were picked up by both Ukrainian and foreign media outlets and the Kyiv Independent reported that its anonymous sources were giving "contradicting responses" about the claims.

The publication reported on Monday that a source in the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed that Zaluzhny had been fired. But this was rejected later Monday by Nykyforov. Zelensky's evening address published at 8:18 p.m. local time also did not address reports about Zaluzhny's dismissal.

A poll conducted in December 2023 found 43 percent of Ukrainians believed there may be some disagreements between the Zelensky and Zaluzhny, and 8 percent of respondents thought the situation was very serious.

The Kyiv International Institute for Sociology (KMIS) survey also showed that Zaluzhny has a 92 percent trust rating and nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of Ukrainians disapproved of him being replaced.

While Ukrainian society overwhelmingly backs the country's leadership and military, support for Zelensky fell from 84 percent at the end of 2022 to 62 percent at the end of 2023, the poll added.

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