Ukraine’s army chief expected to lose job after week of protests

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.” They have demanded Zelenskyy reinstate Mykhailo Fedorov, who was fired as defence minister last week after a clash with Syrskyi and the general staff. Aged 35 and a moderniser, Fedorov is widely credited with improving the country’s position on the battlefield during the six months he was in the job. In a newspaper column published on Monday, Syrskyi said he was “surprised to learn the minister and I had a conflict”. “I perceived our relationship as a working one: with complex issues, with different positions. This is how it should be between two institutions during a major war,” he wrote. He offered a personal apology, saying that if he had offended Fedorov, he was “sorry”. The general added: “I can be harsh. But I ask you, and everyone who is following this story with enthusiasm: let’s focus not on the personal, but on the global. On victory.” Syrskyi also insisted it was wrong to accuse him of a “lack of strategy” and said he was at war with Moscow, not the defence ministry in Kyiv. “My job is war. Strategy, the frontline, the people. That is what I do and will continue to do,” he said. Ukraine’s general staff denied media reports on Monday that Syrskyi was about to be sacked. It said 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 public’s position has been heard,” he said. The situation was being resolved “professionally and constructively”, he added, 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 said. The noisy protests began last Thursday. Several demonstrators waved cheese graters – a pun on the commander’s name, which sounds like cheese in Ukrainian. Zelenskyy confirmed last week that the relationship between Fedorov and Syrskyi had broken down. After his firing, Fedorov said Ukraine’s top brass had blocked reforms with “bureaucratic impediments” and ignored data, instead rewarding brigades that were loyal to Syrskyi 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 held meetings 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. The meetings with top military figures were attended by Yevheniy Khmara, whom Zelenskyy appointed as defence minister. It is unclear if Fedorov 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 Fedorov 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 400km 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,” Zelenskyy added.