Head Of Armed Forces Out In Largest Leadership Change Since Invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posts on X: "Met with General Valerii Zaluzhnyi. I thanked him for the two years of defending Ukraine. We discussed the renewal that the Armed Forces of Ukraine require. We also discussed who could be part of the renewed leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The time for such a renewal is now. I proposed to General Zaluzhnyi to remain part of the team...."

• The post would seem to confirm the recent speculationthat Zelenskyy was looking to replace Zaluzhnyi as head of the armed forces. The general won plaudits in 2022 having orchestrated Ukraine's rearguard defence against Russia's initial spearhead attacks, which were repelled on the outskirts of Kyiv.
• Relations with Zelenskyy are believed to have deteriorated amid disagreements over strategy, the poor progress of the summer counteroffensive against Russian forces, and political infighting.
• Focus will now turn to who replaces Zaluzhnyii, and what their strategy is on combatting Russia's invasion. The current 'war of attrition' would seem to be to the detriment of Ukraine given Russia's much larger resource base in terms of population and willingness to throw them into the front lines.
• Potentially more important than the identity of the new head of the armed forces will be the progress of funding packages for Kyiv in the EU and most notably the United States. Without billions of dollars in US support the prospect of Ukraine holding out against Russia's attritional campaign appears limited.