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So, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has finally decided to fill the long-vacant vacancy in London by appointing Ukraine’s ex-Army Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi to this post. This is his prerogative. At first glance, I'm happy that this inexplicably long delay in filling this important post has been addressed. That a replacement for the previous very capable ambassador Vadym Prystaiko, dismissed in July 2023 at the whim of the president, has been identified. The UK, after all, has become, Ukraine’s major ally and maintaining diplomatic relations at the appropriate level is critical. There was no excuse for Zelensky and his...

It finally happened, Zelensky has let Zaluzhny go, replacing him with Syrsky: Defense Minister Umerov issued his own statement: There’s a lot to unpack. Let’s start with the mentions in the video above of needing a general who is on the frontline, and who understands the Avdeevka situation, as well as others, deeply. This appears to be a riff on the stereotype that Zelensky/Yermak and their team were trying to seed the ground with, characterizing Zaluzhny as someone who ‘never leaves his office’. These are just small, subtle threads in the narrative fabric they attempted to weave together to undermine...

The battle for Avdiivka, the Ukraine-held key town in Donetsk region, had another development as sources indicate that Russians forces broke through the defenses, and entered the town on the north side.Up until that point, most activity was centered in the south, where the besiegers have reached the outskirts of the urban area, and Kiev regime evacuated the civilian population.Pro-Ukrainian Journalist, Senior Editor Security Policy and Conflicts at German Paper BILD, Julian Röpke wrote in his X social media account that forces invading from the north secured a foothold inside the city:Russian invasion forces advanced appr. 1500 meters inside #Avdiivka,...

The Ukrainian government has informed the White House that it plans to fire the country's top military commander overseeing the war against Russian occupation forces, two knowledgeable sources said on Friday. The move to oust General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, who has clashed with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy over a range of issues, follows a Ukrainian counteroffensive last year that failed to recover significant amounts of Russian-held territory. A source close to Zelenskiy's office said the pair are locked in a dispute over a new military mobilization drive, with the president opposing Zaluzhnyi's proposal to call up 500,000 fresh troops. The source, however,...

The Zelenskyy-Zaluzhnyi beef is a reminder that the essence of politics lies in disagreement or divergence of group interests — especially when those interests involve the survival of the nation and its people, Aleksandar Đokić writes. As the war in Ukraine nears the two-year mark, global attention has radically shifted away from Russia's ongoing act of aggression. Battlefield reports have become scarce, and the continued humanitarian crisis affecting tens of millions of Ukrainians barely makes the news any more. Yet, the most recent bombshell out of Kyiv alleging a behind-the-scenes dispute between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and army commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rowed back on a threat to dismiss commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi after the top general refused to resign and potential replacements declined to take on the role, according to media reports in the United Kingdom. According to British newspaper The Times, quoting high-ranking Ukrainian officers, Zaluzhnyi was summoned to a meeting with Zelenskyy on Monday, where he reportedly told presidential advisers that their assessment of the military situation was more positive than is really the case. The Guardian newspaper then quoted a Ukrainian opposition lawmaker's understanding that "yesterday the president asked Zaluzhnyi to resign but he...

KYIV, Ukraine — For Ukraine’s counteroffensive to progress faster, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, the top officer in Ukraine’s armed forces, says he needs more — of every weapon. And he is telling anyone who will listen, including his American counterpart Gen. Mark A. Milley as recently as Wednesday, that he needs those resources now....So it “pisses me off,” Zaluzhny said, when he hears that Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive in the country’s east and south has started slower than expected......“Without being fully supplied, these plans are not feasible at all,” he added. “But they are being carried out. Yes, maybe not as fast...

kraine has fended off Russia's advances for more than 16 months, and it's now several weeks into its long-awaited counteroffensive. The pace is grinding in some sectors of the front, but Kyiv's top general says he doesn't want to hear complaints it's going too slow.Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, told the Washington Post that it "pisses" him off to hear commentary that his counteroffensive operations are moving slower than anticipated. Kyiv's military is currently undergoing several offensive maneuvers along the front lines in the eastern and southern regions and has made small — but, at times,...