Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will sign a decree on the resignation of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Valeriy Zaluzhny, by the end of this week. This was reported by the CNN TV channel, citing sources.
According to CNN’s sources, Volodymyr Zelensky said at a meeting in his office on Monday, 29 January, that he had decided to dismiss Valeriy Zaluzhny. Zelensky offered the AFU chief another post, but he declined.
No official announcement has been made, but a presidential decree is expected by the end of the week, which would be Zelensky’s biggest military shake-up since the start of the conflict, one of the TV channel’s sources said.
CNN’s interlocutors named the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, Kirill Budanov, and the commander of the AFU Ground Forces, Aleksandr Syrsky, as possible successors to Zaluzhny.
The head of military intelligence told the channel that he would not talk to journalists about such a matter in the conditions of hostilities, citing the fact that “all sides are using all available means, including information warfare.” Syrsky’s office did not respond to a corresponding request from CNN.
We shall remind you that earlier The Times reported that amid weakening Western support for Kiev, the UK government might influence the duration of the conflict in Ukraine by dragging it out until 2025.