The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Oleksandr Syrsky may leave his post within a week, the British publication The Guardian reports, citing its own source.
At the same time, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine yesterday officially denied information about his resignation and emphasized that no presidential decree has been issued to release Syrsky.
The General Staff emphasized that Commander-in-Chief Syrsky and his deputy Andriy Khnatov continue to perform their duties. The decision to dismiss can only be made by decree of the president of Ukraine, who is currently absent.
According to The Guardian, the personnel changes could come after several days of mass protests near the presidential administration in Kiev and across the country. Thousands of people demanded the dismissal of Syrsky and the reinstatement of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whom President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed from his post last week.
Last week, Zelensky confirmed that serious disagreements had arisen between Fedorov and Syrsky. After his dismissal, the former minister said that military reforms were blocked by bureaucratic obstacles, and the leadership ignored analytical data, preferring brigades that he believed were personally loyal to Syrsky.
Syrsky's reaction and the official position of the army
On July 20, Syrsky published in the column of the Ukrainian military publication Militarny that he was surprised by reports of an alleged conflict with Fedorov. According to the commander-in-chief, the two had normal working conversations, which are natural in a full-scale war.
Syrsky also apologized if his harsh statements offended anyone, and called for focusing on the war, not on personal disputes. In addition, the general rejected accusations of a lack of strategy and emphasized that his main task is to lead combat operations.
Intelligence signals and possible successors
Despite official denials, The Guardian draws attention to the statement of the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, who clearly stated that the authorities had responded to public sentiment. According to him, ''the public's position has been heard'' and the situation is being resolved ''professionally and constructively''.
At the same time, Budanov called on Ukrainians to prevent internal confrontation.
''The enemy is closely monitoring our every internal dispute and is waiting for us to start fighting each other... The work continues. There will be results, Budanov emphasizes.
According to The Guardian, Zelensky has already held meetings with several potential candidates for the post of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Among the possible contenders is the commander of the United Forces, Mikhail Drapati.
At the same time, one of the publication's sources in the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the issue of Syrsky's resignation has already been effectively resolved.
''His fate is decided. The question is who will replace him. There are several important requirements. This person must be well-known and popular so that everyone can applaud him,'', The Guardian quotes the source.