Future of top Ukraine general in focus as Zelensky pushes for 'reset'

Speculation was swirling on Monday that the immensely popular commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, could soon be sacked by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky confirmed on Sunday night he was thinking about dismissing the top military officer, telling Italian broadcaster RAI that "a reset, a new beginning is certainly necessary."

The president said the personnel changes could go beyond Zaluzhnyi to encompass "a number of leading figures in the state, not just in a single area such as the military."

The 50-year-old Zaluzhnyi became commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army a few months before the Russian invasion in February 2022. Under his command, Ukrainian troops prevented a full invasion and later recaptured some occupied territories.

Zaluzhnyi has denied rumours that he wants to use the public's widespread admiration to launch a political career - a move that could potentially pose a risk to Zelensky's presidency.

Since late last year, there have been increasing reports of a power struggle between Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky. According to various media outlets, the Ukrainian head of state had already planned to replace the general last week, but was initially unable to push this through.

But Zelensky's latest comments fuelled the belief that the sacking could soon be at hand.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko came to the defence of Zaluzhnyi on Monday. He seemed to voice the concerns of Ukrainians who could not understand why the four-star general would be replaced.

"Society is discussing and anxiously waiting the outcome of the situation with the president's plans to dismiss the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi," Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

"In many ways, it was thanks to Zaluzhnyi that Ukrainians truly believed in our Armed Forces, which enjoy the greatest trust today. As a soldier in the war, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi went through many difficult moments. Only he himself knows how much in reality," the mayor continued.

"But, unfortunately, today is the moment when politics can prevail over common sense and the interests of the state."

Klitschko called for an end to political intrigues and internal power struggles in the the government. "We must fight for one thing today - for the victory of Ukraine," he wrote.

Ukraine has been fending off an all-out Russian invasion since February 24, 2022, with massive amounts of Western armaments and financial aid.

Zaluzhnyi is seen as war hero by many in Ukraine. In addition to recapturing some territory that had been occupied by Russian forces, he is credited with the successful defence of the capital Kiev in the first days of the war.

Talk of a rift between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi increased in November, when The Economist magazine published an interview with Zaluzhnyi in which the general warned the war had reached a stalemate.

Zelensky, who is known for delivering to the public more upbeat assessments, fired back at the time: "There is no stalemate."

Last week, in an online opinion piece for CNN, Zaluzhnyi warned that Ukraine was facing a critical shortfall in ammunition as the war with Russia prepares to enter its third year.

Zaluzhnyi said Russia also has advantages over Ukraine when it comes to mobilizing soldiers, suggesting the political leadership in Kiev was reluctant to take "unpopular measures" to bolster troop levels.

In other developments, a minister for the Russian authorities in the occupied eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk was killed in shelling in the city of Lysychansk, according to the local government.

The body of Alexei Poteleshchenko was found under the rubble of a collapsed building, the Moscow-appointed head of government of the Luhansk region, Sergei Kozlov, announced on Monday.

Poteleshchenko served as Luhansk's civil defence minister in the Russian occupation authorities. According to Russian reports, a total of 28 people were killed in a Ukrainian attack that hit a bakery on Saturday, including a child.

Russian leaders strongly condemned the shelling.

"The ongoing strikes against civilian infrastructure, in this case against a bakery, are a terrible terrorist attack," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The Ukrainian military has not yet commented, but the city's Ukrainian leadership confirmed the strike and contended that the location was a legitimate target being used to support Russian front-line operations.

Elsewhere, at least four people were killed in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson as a result of Russian artillery fire, and another person was injured, the regional government said.

The city, which is only separated from Russian positions by the Dnipro river, was shelled several times during the course of the day.

Later on Monday, the regional military administration said that it closed the city and the surrounding area to foreigners following the deaths of two French employees of a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Russian attacks.

The measure applies to members of diplomatic missions as well as employees of international aid organizations.

"In times of war, no one can guarantee security, but we must clearly establish the presence of people in places of active hostilities," the regional military administration said on Telegram.

The two French nationals were killed in a Russian artillery attack in the village of Beryslav on Thursday. Three other French citizens and a Ukrainian were injured in the attack.

Kherson, which once had a population of almost 300,000, was occupied by Russian troops for several months in 2022. Since the Russian retreat across the Dnipro, the city has been under artillery fire almost every day.