Zelenskyy Weighs Ousting Syrsky Over 1,200km Front as Thousands Protest
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Jul 18
Zelenskyy Weighs Ousting Syrsky Over 1,200km Front as Thousands Protest
3 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Jul 18
Summary
Weekend talks with military commanders will help Zelenskyy decide whether to remove commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky, with the president also interviewing possible successors, a senior administration official said.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the presidential administration in Kyiv on Friday night, chanting “Syrsky out!” after Zelenskyy fired defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov earlier this week.
Fedorov said Syrsky forced his dismissal with an ultimatum, blocked defence-ministry reforms and clung to infantry-and-artillery tactics even as Ukraine expands drone strikes and automation.
Any change would have to preserve a smooth handover and a strong defence along Ukraine’s 1,200km front, where momentum against Russia has recently swung in Kyiv’s favour.
The crisis has exposed rare public dissent from veterans and active-duty troops and unsettled western partners who had backed Fedorov’s reform agenda.