Zelensky has fired Zaluzhny!
What does it mean?
You have probably heard or read the latest news by now, since it has been on all MSM, i.e. that the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, has finally replaced the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, with Alexandr Sirskij. But what does it mean?
Making this choice means officially admitting the considerable problems within the army, on the front line, and above all of cohesion between the leaderships of the country's different institutions.
"Ukrainians have started to talk less and less about victory," Zelensky explained, adding that a change of course is needed to show that the Ukrainian army is capable of winning.
But… who is the new commander who should bring victories?
MSM tend to highlight his “successes”, such as the defense of Kyiv in the first month of the war (though the Russian “attack” to Kiev was probably just a feint) and the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region in autumn 2022 (which was actually a Russian retreat, as they were overstretched and outnumbered)… while hiding his failures, of course!
Sirsky was born in the Vladimir oblast of Russia. He attended the military academy in Moscow and then served in Ukraine. Sirsky's parents and brother continue to live in Russia and his father is a retired Russian army colonel. In practice, Sirsky is a traitor of his motherland!
In the course of the conflict in the Donbass, Sirsky has never had the reputation of a skilled leader. In 2015, the Ukrainian armed forces, under his command, were encircled in Debaltsevo, while during the new phase of the conflict after 24 February 2022, he was often criticised for heavy losses in his areas of responsibility, including Bakhmut/Artyomovsk, in battles against Wagner's men. That is why some Ukrainian soldiers refer to him as a “butcher!
What does this mean for Russia? Nothing, as Andrei Martyanov points out in his latest post. Actually…
Syrsky will only accelerate a catastrophic state of the remnants of VSU, which are now being mauled along the whole length of the front and the whole fortified area of Avdeevka
For a more in-depth analysis of what is happening in Kiev and Ukraine, now that Zelensky has sacked Zaluzhny, I recommend this podcast by Larry C. Johnson, ex-CIA analyst.