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Ukraine’s commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi is widely expected to lose his job amid signs that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bowed to pressure from protesters and will reshuffle the army’s top leadership.
Over the past five days, thousands of demonstrators have gathered outside the presidential office in Kyiv, chanting: “Syrskyi out”. Some have waved cheese graters – a pun on the commander’s name, which sounds like cheese in Ukrainian.
The country’s general staff denied media reports on Monday that Syrskyi was about to be sacked. It said Gen Syrskyi and his deputy, Andriy Hnatov, continued to carry out their duties. “Dismissal from these posts takes place on the basis of a decree by the president of Ukraine,” it added.
Despite these denials, Zelenskyy’s influential chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, hinted that the government had listened to the popular mood. “The position of society has been heard. The situation was being resolved “professionally and constructively”, he said, urging “everyone to keep calm”.
“The enemy is closely watching every one of our internal disputes and waiting for us to start fighting among ourselves. Work is under way. Results will follow,” he stated.
The noisy protests began last Thursday after Zelenskyy sacked Ukraine’s young and popular defence minister, Mykhailo Federov. Aged 35 and a moderniser, he is widely credited with improving the country’s position in the battlefield during the six months he was in the job.
Zelenskyy confirmed last week that the relationship between Federov and Syrskyi had broken down. Following his firing, Federov said Syrskyi had blocked reforms with “bureaucratic impediments” and ignored data, instead rewarding brigades that were loyal to him personally.
One source in the armed forces confirmed Syrskyi’s imminent departure. “His destiny is decided. The question is who will replace him. There are a few important requirements. The person should be known and popular so everyone applauds,” they said.
“But they should also not have open political ambitions so as not to create a new rival. It should be an experienced military guy who listens to the president and does what he wants to do,” the source added.
On Monday Zelenskyy met with several possible replacements. The senior commanders included Mykhailo Drapatiy, the head of Ukraine’s joint armed forces. Drapatiy cemented his reputation by driving a tank through a pro-Russian blockade in 2014, when Russia first tried to seize the eastern city of Mariupol.
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The meetings with top military figures were attended by Yevheniy Khmara, whom Zelenskyy appointed as defence minister. It is unclear if Federov will be reinstated – a key demand from demonstrators – or brought back into government in another role.
Protest organisers say that Zelenskyy has a deadline of Friday to give Federov his old job back. If this doesn’t happen they promise a “general indefinite protest” in towns and cities across the country.
Zelenskyy praised recent long-range Ukrainian strikes on targets in Russia. “They have produced results against logistics facilities and an oil depot. The targets were more than 400 kilometres from our border. Two shadow fleet tankers and four cargo ships were also struck in the Black Sea,” he said.
“We are responding, justly, to every Russian strike against our cities and communities. This war must be brought to an end, and that is only possible by increasing the pressure on the sole cause of this war – Russia,” he added.
