The foundations of the Ukrainian military high command are shaking, and within that internal earthquake in which the Army finds itself there is one who stands out above the rest: the head of the Armed Forces, Valeri Zaluzhni. The rumors that for weeks have put Zaluzhni in the spotlight have been confirmed this Monday by the Ukrainian president himself, Volodymyr Zelensky, who has acknowledged that he is thinking of introducing significant changes in the country's military and political leadership, which includes replace Zaluzhni, to achieve a “new beginning” in the framework of the war against Russia.

“Restart, a new beginning is necessary. I have something serious in mind, which does not concern a single person but the leadership of the country,” he said before admitting that “it is true” that he has thought about the need to replace Zaluzhni and “the entire administrative apparatus” to “achieve the victory”. In this sense, he has pointed out that there is a “stagnation” on the front and has pointed out that this is due to the “delay in the shipment of weapons” by Western countries.. “These types of problems lead to mistakes on the battlefield,” he stated in an interview on Italian public television.

“We fight against terrorists who have one of the largest armies in the world, modern technical means are needed,” he said.. Currently 36% of Ukrainian territory is under Russian occupation, although Zelensky has assured that “the Russian Army is unable to advance significantly.”. “We have detained them,” he defended, while explaining that after these months of war, Ukraine “is a different country, closer to Europe, with a stronger Army and equipped with Western means.”

According to Army and Presidential sources cited by the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, Zelensky is also considering dismissing the chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Sergei Shaptala.. “We will have a very bad time, but it is certain that we will never feel ashamed. “I am happy that in this life and in this war you, a person for whom Ukraine is above all, have been by my side,” Zaluzhni wrote to Shaptala on Facebook on the occasion of his birthday on Monday.

Zaluzhni and his public disagreements with Zelensky

Rumors about Zaluzhni's dismissal with Zelensky began last November, when he published an article in which he considered the summer counteroffensive to be amortized and recognized that the war had entered a positional phase that could favor Russia.

The president did not support Zaluzhni's theses and indirectly described them as defeatist. Shortly after, another incident occurred related to the mobilization of new soldiers. The head of the Army insisted from the beginning of the war on the importance of achieving general mobilization and reinforcing the border areas with Russia, while the Ukrainian president has been cautious due to the fear that these types of measures will generate panic among the Ukrainian population.

According to polls published at the end of last year, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces had the trust of 88% of Ukrainians, while Zelensky's popularity rate was then 62%. The mayor of kyiv, Vitali Klitschkó (who has also had public disagreements with the Ukrainian president), supported Zaluzhni this Monday by stating on his Telegram channel that thanks to him Ukrainians believed in their Armed Forces.

Zelensky visits the front

While this internal struggle was taking place, the Ukrainian president traveled to the battle front this Sunday, where he met with members of the Air Force in the Dnipropetrovsk region.. During his visit he posted images from Robotyne, one of the towns that the Ukrainian Army managed to recover during its counteroffensive last summer.

At the same time, in the east of the country, on the Donetsk front, Russian forces have attempted to end their encirclement of the Ukrainian municipality of Avdivka. Ukrainian troops repelled up to 44 Russian attacks in that area during the past day, according to the report issued this Monday by the General Staff.

In their daily bulletin on the course of the war, the Center for Defense Strategies in kyiv reported a Russian advance of 1.5 kilometers in the sand quarry area located in the north of Avdivka. Near Optine, south of Avdivka and about two kilometers north of the occupied Donetsk airport, Russian forces would have advanced one kilometer. Ukrainian military sources have explained in recent weeks that the lack of ammunition to repel Russian attacks gives the enemy an advantage along the entire front.

Although in the first stages of the counteroffensive Ukraine managed to advance a few kilometers along the entire border, this progress has been slowed for months.. The positions of both countries are stagnant and Zelensky continues trying to get the essential aid package for Ukraine from the United States to receive the approval of the Senate, since the Republicans have knocked it down on several occasions.. This same Monday, the Republicans presented a new proposal, although everything indicates that it will have the same future as the previous ones.