UP Suggests Zaluzhny Is Prepared For Dismissal, Wants To Secure Smooth Transition

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny has accepted that he will need to step down and wants to ensure a smooth transition, according to a source piece circulated by Ukrainska Pravda this morning.

• The piece notes that public opinion surveys commissioned by the presidential administration showed a growing acceptance for a negotiated end of war as well as an increasing divergence in the approval ratings of civilian and military leaders, with the society still holding very high levels of trust in the army. This played into the ongoing tensions at the intersection of politics and military affairs.
• President Zelensky then invited Zaluzhny for regular consultations and asked him to resign and take up a different position, in line with an established practice, but the general refused and subsequently informed other military commanders that he might soon be dismissed. The piece notes that the security service (SBU) warned its officers of the possibility of unrest in Kyiv, should Zaluzhny be ousted.
• An official with the presidential administration told Ukrainska Pravda that Zaluzhny may be replaced "within a few days" but "everything will be calm." Another source from the military said that "Valery Fedorovych [Zaluzhny] does not need any rallies or riots" and is prepared to join the army "if someone wants to demonstrate heroism."
• Any further delay to the final decision on Zaluzhny's dismissal will have negative consequences for the ongoing war effort amid the need to re-establish clear hierarchy in decision-making processes. The situation may also have long-lasting consequences for Ukrainian politics, potentially removing barriers to Zaluzhny's more active civilian engagement and imposing further reputational costs on Zelensky.