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Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate and defend the inhabitants of the Donbass region, where people have been suffering from a blockade and regular attacks by the Kiev regime's forces since 2014.

Zelensky Wants Zaluzhny Out Over Alleged Effort to Pursue Ceasefire With Russia - Hersh

© AFP 2024Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 02.02.2024
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - On Monday, Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko said, citing sources, that Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhny was allegedly ordered to resign. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry and President Zelensky's spokesman denied the claims.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to remove Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhny from his post because of his alleged involvement in secret talks with Western officials about pursuing a ceasefire with Russia, US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported.

"Zelensky’s desire to fire his commanding general is the result, some Americans believe, of his knowledge that Zaluzhny had continued to participate - whether directly or through aides is not known - in secret talks since last fall with American and other Western officials on how best to achieve a ceasefire and negotiate an end to the war with Russia," Hersh said on Thursday.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing sources, that the Ukrainian government had postponed the dismissal of Zaluzhny due to a leak of information about his possible resignation. The government planned to fire Zaluzhny, but on Monday evening, when information leaked, it decided to back off, the report said, adding that now, the government is slowing down the process.
(L-R) CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Canada’s Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, Latvia's President Edgars Rinkevics, Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron attend the Ukranian Breakfast on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos on January 18, 2024. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 31.01.2024
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According to reports, Zelensky was forced to reverse his decision as international partners, including the United States and the United Kingdom, expressed concern about Zelensky's actions.
Zelensky reportedly met with Zaluzhny to inform the general of the decision to fire him. Instead, Zelensky offered Zaluzhny the post of secretary of the country’s security council, but Zaluzhny turned it down.
The head of Ukraine's military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, and the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, were named candidates for the post of commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, the report added.

No Military Manpower Boost Without 'Unpopular Measures' - Zaluzhny

Amid multiple reports of Zaluzhny's looming dismissal, the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief wrote in an opinion piece for CNN that Ukraine cannot ramp up its military manpower without resorting to "unpopular measures", citing Russia's manpower advantage.
The article was written before the reports emerged, CNN said.
According to The Washington Post, the scale of further mobilization is at the heart of widening differences between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Zaluzhny. The latter reportedly wants to mobilize about 500,000 additional troops, while Zelenskyy considers the figure impractical, citing lack of uniforms, weapons and training facilities for such a great number of new recruits.

"We must acknowledge the significant advantage enjoyed by the enemy in mobilizing human resources and how that compares with the inability of state institutions in Ukraine to improve the manpower levels of our armed forces without the use of unpopular measures," Zaluzhny said in the article released on Thursday.

He stated that the Ukrainian forces remain in a difficult position due to the "imperfections of the regulatory framework" in the country and the partial monopolization of the defense industry. These issues result in production bottlenecks, especially in ammunition, which increase Ukraine’s dependence on supplies from foreign allies.
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"Our combat experience, particularly since 2022, is unique – but in the interests of victory, we must constantly find new ways and new capabilities to help us gain an advantage over the enemy," Zaluzhny said.

He described the development of unmanned weapons systems as a "central driver of this war." These systems are critical for Ukraine to "avoid being drawn into a positional war, where we do not possess the advantage," he observed.
Zaluzhny stressed the need to completely redesign battlefield operations and forget outdated and stereotypical thinking.
The Ukrainian government introduced a new mobilization bill in the Rada on January 30. Ukrainian media reported that the document obliges people liable for military service to report to military commissariats to clarify their information within 60 days. However, it does not imply a call-up of people with disabilities and clearly defines the service life of those mobilized during martial law, according to the reports.
Martial law was introduced in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The next day, Zelenskyy signed a decree on general mobilization. Under martial law, men aged from 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving Ukraine.
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