‘New Approaches, New Strategies are Needed’: Ukraine’s Sacks Head of Armed Forces

General Valerii Zaluzhnyi has been removed as the head of the Ukrainian armed forces, a major change at the top weeks shy of the second anniversary of Russia’s re-invasion, with comments of a need for change from top figures appearing as a tacit admission of failure.

Top Ukrainian figures were full of thanks for the service of General Valerii Zaluzhnyi as he was removed from post on Thursday, but immediately below the surface discussion of the need to change, and even a detailed breakdown of improvements needed by his successor was laid out by President Zelensky. Morale is low in Ukraine and citizens “talk about victory less often”, he said, while calling for serious change in method and tempo.

President Zelensky revealed Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the leader of Ukraine’s land forces who he praised as “the most experienced Ukrainian commander”, had been appointed to replace General Zaluzhny.

Zelensky with General Oleksandr Syrskyi (Photo by Metin AktaÅ/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Apparently reading from the same script, both the outgoing General Zaluzhnyi and the Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov both made clear reference to how the nature of the war had shifted, and how change was now needed. General Zaluzhnyi took to social media to note on Thursday afternoon that: “Our battle continues and changes daily. The tasks of 2022 are different from the tasks of 2024. Therefore, everyone must change and adapt to new realities as well.”

Minister of Defence Rustem said the general had endured “one of the most difficult tasks” in leading the armed forces during the Russian invasion, but nevertheless: “war does not remain the same. War changes and demands change. Battles 2022, 2023 and 2024 are three different realities.”

Rustem said 2024 would bring “new changes” and that “New approaches, new strategies are needed”, an apparent tacit admission that the strategy of General Zaluzhnyi — who has been perfectly open about his shifting to a First World War mindset of late — had failed.

Perhaps the most cutting remarks were reserved for President Zelensky himself, who in his Ukrainian-language address to the nation revealing the selection of Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi to replace General Zaluzhnyi laid out a bulletpoint-list of areas where he expected improvement. Implying some Ukrainian officers have been too inclined to lead from the rear, Zelensky said that from now on: “If a general does not know the [front lines], he does not serve Ukraine”.

Again apparently damning the status quo in the military, Zelensky demanded a “realistic, detailed action plan of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for 2024… taking into account the real situation on the battlefield now and prospects”, implying one doesn’t already exist, and reductions to “excessive and unjustified staff numbers”. Criticising the way the army is being used, Zelensky again tacitly stated the best weapons aren’t being logically distributed and untrained soldiers were being sent to fight.

He said: “Each combat brigade on the front line should receive effective Western weapons – there should be a fair redistribution of such weapons in favor of the first front line… What is needed is an obvious improvement in the quality of training of soldiers – only trained soldiers on the front line.”

Other changes include the creation of an “unmanned systems” command — at present drone operation is split over the army and intelligence services — and improvements to logistics so drones actually make it to the front line, rather than languish in “warehouses”.

This year must be decisive, Zelensky said, noting important achievements in previous years — like surviving the initial onslaught and beating back the Russian Black Sea Fleet — had given way to a feeling of stagnation. He said in his televised address: “We have to be honest: the feeling of stagnation especially in the southern directions and the difficulties in the battles in Donetsk have affected the public mood. Ukrainians began to talk about victory less often. But the Ukrainian spirit did not lose faith in victory.

“This year should become the time of Ukraine – the time when every Ukrainian soldier will know, as before, that the Ukrainian state and the Ukrainian army are capable of winning.”

The reshuffle answers weeks of speculation that Zelensky was to move against one of his most powerful allies, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, one of the only figures in the country who could claim the same level of public recognition and popularity, as the war stagnated. The Daily Telegraph noted that General Zaluzhnyi also had the “confidence” of Western NATO leaders.

Zelensky told an Italian television station that he intended a “reset, a new beginning” at the weekend, but that this would be about more than replacing a single person, but changing the whole of the country’s leadership.

Zelensky hit those notes again today when he said: “It’s not about surnames. And even more so not about politics. This is about the system of our army, about management in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and about involving the experience of combat commanders of this war.”

The shakeup also follows months of discussion and consequence of the failure of the Ukrainian 2023 spring counteroffensive, and discussion of another one to come this year. Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said last week that Russia is presently in the offensive stage, but “Somewhere in early spring, it will be completely exhausted”, and when that happens it will be Ukraine’s turn to hit back.