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.

"The whole story of sharing information about Zaluzhny's removal in anonymous Telegram channels linked to the office of the president is deeply disturbing," director of the Ukrainian forum at the London-based Chatham House think tank, Orysia Lutsevych, told Newsweek.

She said there is possibly a camp in Zelensky's inner circle that wants to remove the commander. "It is likely that this move was to test a public reaction to his removal and society sent a clear signal that they don't' like it," she said, noting that Ukrainians were prepared to publicly protest such a move.

Viktor Kovalenko, defense analyst and a former Ukrainian soldier, told Newsweek that rumors about the fate of Zaluzhny "undermine morale in the Ukrainian military because the majority of soldiers and officers, as far as I hear, respect and trust him."

"Zaluzhny has the charisma to project strong leadership which is needed in the war times, so troops obey and follow orders," he told Newsweek and his dismissal "will discourage not only the military but many all over Ukraine and in the Western militaries, as he has a unique talent for building working communications with allies."

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.

"In view of Russia's own attempts to destabilize Ukrainian unity from inside, this kind of attack on Zaluzhny plays into the enemy's hands," said Lutsevych. "It could potentially negatively impact the upcoming mobilization."

In December, Zelensky said the military had proposed drafting up to 500,000 more people.

"Ukrainian society needs to know that the command of the army is in reliable hands and they also want to see more mid-level command reform, cleanup of procurement and better and longer training," she added.

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.

An expert on Ukraine told Newsweek that the situation of anonymous sources saying that Zaluzhny had been dismissed was "deeply disturbing" and could play into Russia's hands.

Update 1/30/24, 9:40 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from a Ukraine expert.