Ukraine’s Zelenskyy names new army chief after dismissing Zaluzhnyi

President Zelenskyy thanked General Valerii Zaluzhnyi for his service, says he should remain ‘on his team’.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Oleksandr Syrsky, who has led Ukraine’s ground forces since 2019, as the new head of Ukraine’s armed forces, after he dismissed General Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy on Thursday thanked Zaluzhnyi for his two years of service, and said that the time had come for changes in the military leadership.

Zelenskyy said Zaluzhnyi should remain “on his team”.

Zaluzhnyi conceded that the country’s military strategy “must change” almost two years into Russia’s invasion.