A month after this major change at the head of the Ukrainian military, the ministry said, “The President approved Valery Zaluzny’s candidacy for the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced him with the lesser-known General Oleksandr Sirsky.
His decision, the subject of persistent rumours, follows the failure of Kiev’s counter-offensive in 2023 and against a backdrop of tensions between Volodymyr Zelensky and Valery Zalozhny, a very popular military leader.
Financial and military support
Valery Zalozny, 50, was named commander-in-chief in July 2021, just months before the start of the Russian offensive, which was launched in February 2022.
In a press release following his dismissal, he asserted that the Ukrainian military’s strategy must “change and adapt” after two years of intense warfare, which has been marked by shortages of ammunition and men for Kiev’s forces in recent months.
In the United Kingdom, Valery Zalozny will have to continue to persuade London to support Kiev financially and militarily in the face of the Russian army, which is outnumbered and has been gaining ground on the front in recent weeks.
