Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is considering dismissing Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Financial Times reported, citing a senior source in the Ukrainian administration.
According to the source, Zelenskyy plans to meet with military commanders this weekend to hear their assessments of the front-line situation and to hold talks with potential candidates for the army chief post. The source said the president is ready to remove Syrskyi if he finds a commander who can ensure a "smooth transition" of command without disrupting defenses on the front line.
The possible dismissal follows mass protests in Ukrainian cities sparked by the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. The Verkhovna Rada approved the government's resignation on July 14, and Fedorov was not included in the new cabinet. On July 17, an estimated 10,000 people attended a rally in Kyiv, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
Fedorov himself said Syrskyi had insisted on his removal. The former minister argued that it is the commander-in-chief who should be dismissed. Zelenskyy previously acknowledged that relations between the minister and the commander had completely deteriorated and that they had stopped communicating directly.
A senior Ukrainian Defense Ministry official told the FT that Syrskyi's problem is his inability to articulate a convincing vision for Ukraine's victory in the war. "Syrskyi's theory of victory boils down to holding out as long as possible and mobilizing more people," the source said.
Protesters are demanding not only Fedorov's reinstatement as defense minister but also Syrskyi's dismissal. The protest organizer, veteran Dmytro Kozyatynskyi, accused the commander-in-chief of "engaging in politics instead of the front, demoralizing the army, sabotaging reforms, and creating personal pocket armies."