Zelensky Dismisses Commander of Ukrainian Army

Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, on Thursday, February 8, during a meeting with General Valery Zaluzhny, the commander of the country's army, told him that it was time for a new leader to take charge of the army. According to the Associated Press, Mr. Zelensky thanked General Zaluzhny for his two years of service and discussed potential replacements for the senior military position. The President of Ukraine emphasized that 'the time' for such a change is 'now.' He added that General Alexander Syrsky, the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, has been appointed as the commander of the Ukrainian army. General Syrsky, 58, has been involved in efforts to align the standards of the Ukrainian army with NATO since 2013. Volodymyr Zelensky's statement came just days after speculation and reports from Ukrainian media regarding whether he would dismiss General Zaluzhny. This decision marks the most significant fundamental changes in the military structure of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion of the country in March 2022. The office of Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense had recently denied rumors about the dismissal of General Zaluzhny, who is a popular figure in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces claimed on Thursday that they shot down a Russian attack helicopter in eastern Ukraine in the city of Avdiivka, where soldiers from both sides are engaged in street fighting. Zelensky's decision for a wide-ranging change in Ukrainian officials; the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces is at the top of the list of changes. Germany is delivering 105 'Leopard 1' tanks to Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force shot down '11 Iranian Shahed drones' over four regions.