What did Zaluzhnyi's dismissal change for Ukraine's command?
A retrospective on the removal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the appointment of his successor.
What did it mean when Ukraine replaced its top military commander? On 8 February 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Valerii Zaluzhnyi from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Oleksandr Syrskyi, until then commander of the Ground Forces, was appointed to replace him.
The decision followed months of rumours about a disagreement between Zelenskyy and Zaluzhnyi. As reported at the time, the change at the top of the armed forces came during the war with Russia, with no pause in the fighting or in the attacks on Ukrainian cities.
The day before, on 7 February 2024, Russian forces had launched a wave of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine. At least five civilians were killed and 11 others were injured, including two in Kyiv.
For opinion, the point is the timing: a change of military leadership took place within a day of fresh strikes on infrastructure and civilians. The appointment of a Ground Forces commander to the supreme post marked a shift within the military hierarchy, while the rumours of a rift that preceded it ended with the dismissal.
