Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday fired a top general amid public criticism that the commander’s decisions led to too many casualties.
The removal of General Yuri Sodor as commander of the combined forces of the armed forces is a clear sign of the persistence of discord between the two sides. Enraged the army Since Mr. Zelensky Changed his commanderIn February this year, Generals Valery Zaluzhny and Oleksandr Syrsky continued to threaten military cohesion.
Zelensky announced that General Sodor would be replaced by Brigadier General Andrei Khnatov.
General Sodor was appointed by General Silsk in February as part of a wider reshuffle, and Zelenskiy did not reveal why he fired the commander or what position he would now hold.
But before the president made the announcement, Bohdan Korotevich, chief of staff of the Azov Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, wrote to the National Bureau of Investigation calling for an investigation into the general’s actions.
Then, just hours before the general was fired, Krotovich published an unusually blunt and pointed comment Open the envelope On social media, the general was implicitly accused of having “killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general” due to poor leadership.
While Korotovich did not name General Sodor directly in his open letter, he suggested that all Ukrainian troops knew who he was referring to. “Everyone in the army knows it, because 99% of the army hates what he did,” he wrote.
Mariana Bezukhla, a member of the Verkhovna Rada’s Defense Committee, said in a statement that Krotevich mentioned General Sobol and that she shared the same concerns.
“Will this continue?” she asked. A statement on social media. “Does the military have to unite around hatred for its leader? Do we really want to lose people and territory like this? Is this how things work?”
Gen. Sodor and Gen. Silsky could not be reached for comment, and the military command did not immediately comment.
Krotovich wrote that he knew there could be repercussions for himself and his department by making such a public statement, but he felt he had no choice.
While soldiers are not shy about privately complaining about what they consider unwise decisions or expressing dissatisfaction with Ukraine’s military leadership, soldiers rarely denounce commanders publicly.
After Zelenskiy’s announcement, Bezura said firing one person would not solve the deeper problems. “One personnel decision will not have any effect without changing the principles of the system,” she said.
After Zelensky announced that General Natov would replace General Sodor, Korotevich wrote that the new commander was “a very good officer,” adding, “I hope the news from the front will get better and better.”
Ukrainian troops have been on the defensive since the fall, spending months holding onto land despite being outnumbered and outgunned. U.S. military aid has been delayed by political wrangling in Washington, while political indecision in Kiev has also delayed efforts to bolster Ukraine’s efforts to mobilize a new army.
Analysts say the country’s top military commander, General Syrsky, is acutely aware criticize He represented an outdated “Soviet” way of thinking, and he was willing to sacrifice the lives of his soldiers for dubious military gain.
While he won praise for leading two victories in the early stages of the war – the defense of the capital, Kiev, and a counteroffensive in the northern Kharkiv region – there was widespread resentment among some about his decision to defend Bakhmut for so long.
General Sodor joined the military in 2003 and rose through the ranks, serving as commander of the Ukrainian Marine Corps before being promoted. While leading the Marines, he gained a bad reputation in some quarters for failing to address the concerns of his soldiers. In particular, troops under his command criticized an operation late last year to establish and defend a plot of land on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, which one soldier described in an interview as “Suicide mission.”
After a stern rebuke from the Azov commander, General Syrsky issue a statement The importance of protecting the lives of Ukrainian soldiers was stressed on social media, but there was no mention of General Sodor or criticism.
“High-quality training, effective medical care, and technological superiority — we are creating a common system for every unit whose first priority is to save the lives of Soldiers,” he wrote. “The lives of Soldiers are of the highest value,” he said.
Then, on Monday evening, General Thursky met with Mr. Zelensky and announced General Sodor’s removal.
