Rumours that Ukraine's top commander may be dismissed expose rifts in Ukraine top brass

Rumors of Ukraine's top military chief being dismissed amid tensions with President Zelensky fuel concerns of Russian propaganda and delays in military aid.

Rifts within Ukraine's top leadership have burst into the open following swirling rumours that the country's top military chief will be dismissed amid reported tensions with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The rumours that Valerii Zaluzhnyi would be sacked were denied by Mr. Zelensky's office and the Defence Ministry this week and the immensely popular top commander still retains his post. But the reports have fuelled expectations of his imminent resignation, which could be a boon for Russia as the war approaches its second anniversary.

His departure would be the most severe shakeup of Ukraine's top military brass since the Russian invasion as the country grapples with dire ammunition and personnel shortages following a failed summer counteroffensive. It also could hurt the morale of Ukrainian troops, who have been fighting grinding battles for nearly two years.

Much needed military aid to fuel the next phase of the fight is blocked in the U.S. Congress, and Ukrainian forces are digging in to defend positions against advancing Russian troops.

"Zelensky has the right to remove Zaluzhnyi. But he needs to have a very good justification for that, a very good explanation which is understandable to Ukrainians," said Oleksii Haran, research director at the Democratic Initiatives Foundation in Kyiv.

"We know that if Zaluzhnyi is dismissed right now, it will be used by Russian propaganda, it will be used by forces, including those inside the United States, which are delaying supplies of arms to Ukraine. So this won't be a good thing," Mr. Haran said.

Mr. Zaluzhnyi enjoys widespread popularity across the country and the military, but he has had been at odds with Mr. Zelensky since saying in an interview with The Economist last year that the fighting with Russia had stalemated. The president denied that was the case.