KYIV -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appointed Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy as the Ukrainian Army's commander in chief just minutes after announcing it was time for a "renewal" and "renewed leadership" of the country's armed forces.
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In his statement on February 8, Zelenskiy said Syrskiy "has successful defense experience -- he conducted the Kyiv defense operation. He also has successful offensive experience -- the Kharkiv liberation operation."
The Russia-born, 58-year-old Syrskiy, who has served as the commander of Ukrainian ground forces since 2019, replaces General Valeriy Zaluzhniy following reports that Zelenskiy was strongly considering removing him.
Zelenksiy said in a message on X, formerly Twitter, that is he grateful to Zaluzhniy and he appreciates "every victory we have achieved together." Before announcing the leadership change, Zelenskiy said he had "candidly discussed" with Zaluzhniy issues in the army that require urgent change.
"Starting today, a new management team will take over leadership of the armed forces of Ukraine. I had dozens of conversations with commanders at various levels," he said, adding that the move "is not about surnames, and surely not about politics."
The change in leadership is about the management of the military and "about involving the experience of this war’s combat-hardened commanders," he said, touting Syrskiy's successful experience, particularly in the defense of Kyiv and his successful offensive experience, particularly in the Kharkiv liberation operation.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov noted Zaluzhniy's role in the first two years of the full-scale Russian invasion, saying "our soldiers repelled the onslaught of the aggressor, defended our statehood, and continue to defend our independence every day."
He said he was grateful for Zaluzhniy's achievements and victories, but war changes and demands change.
"The battles of 2022, 2023, and 2024 are three different realities [and] 2024 will bring new changes for which we must be ready," Umerov said. "New approaches, new strategies are needed."
U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the move to replace Zaluzhniy was a "sovereign decision" made by Ukrainian leaders. He declined to comment further.
Syrskiy was one of the main commanders who led the Ukrainian armed forces' fight against the offensives by Russia-backed separatists that started in 2014 shortly after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea.
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Syrskiy led the Ukrainian armed forces' successful counteroffensive to regain control over the Kharkiv region in September of that year.
In April 2022, Syrskiy's successful leadership in defending the Ukrainian capital earned him the title Hero of Ukraine, bestowed under a decree signed by Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy met earlier on February 8 with Zaluzhniy and said he had asked him to remain "on the team," though he didn't say in what capacity.
Zaluzhniy wrote on Telegram on February 8 that he and Zelenskiy "made a decision on the necessity to change approaches and strategy" in Ukraine's fight against Russia's ongoing aggression.
Speculation had swirled for weeks that Zelenskiy would remove Zaluzhniy over differences in strategy and Ukraine’s struggle to hold battlefield positions after a failed counteroffensive last year.
Tensions between Zaluzhniy and Zelenskiy surfaced in November after the commander in chief published an opinion piece in The Economist saying the war had entered a stalemate and only a technological breakthrough would allow Ukraine to achieve its goals of liberating occupied territory.
Zelenskiy’s office was quick to reject that battlefield assessment.
Polls showed earlier that Zaluzhniy's popularity in the country is as high, if not more so, than Zelenskiy's, and some experts suggested that if Zelenskiy ousted Zaluzhniy, it would demoralize some of Ukraine troops and undermine national unity.
Zelenskiy said in his message on X that in his discussion with Zaluzhniy on February 8 he proposed that the general continue working "on the Ukrainian state team" in an unspecified capacity.
"I will be grateful for his acceptance of this proposal," Zelenskiy said.