For nearly two years, the Ukrainian word for victory, peremoha, has been ubiquitous in the country. Even today you can hear him in patriotic songs on the radio, read him in General Staff announcements or see him on one of the many street posters announcing military service. But how the country will achieve this victory currently seems more uncertain than ever in this war. For the year 2024, the political leadership has set a modest goal: hold the line, inflict losses on the enemy and expand its own weapons production.
All of this may be plausible and logical, but no real vision of the future can be derived from it. Dreams about Ukrainian flags in Crimea, which dominated public discourse about a year ago, may have awakened false hope in many. However, they brought society closer together in the hope of a better future.
But Ukrainians are currently only faced with bad news on a political and military level: Trump's Republicans have been blocking billions of aid to Kiev for months. At the same time, devastating Russian airstrikes continue and Ukrainian air defenses are becoming increasingly unable to counter them. The Ukrainian defenders had to withdraw from Avdiivka to avoid being surrounded by the advancing Russians. The Ukrainians are also currently having trouble holding the line in other sections of the front, such as around Kupyansk.
There is a lack of artillery ammunition and personnel at the front. Many Ukrainians also resent President Volodymyr Zelensky for firing popular army chief Valeriy Zalushnyy in early February and replacing him with the previous army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyj.
This text comes from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
Great efforts were made to make this personnel change appear harmonious. Zelensky and Zalushny announced this with a joint photo in which they can be seen smiling and shaking hands. Saluzhny received one of the country's highest honors from the president just one day after he was removed from office. According to the official account, the new military challenges required a change in leadership.
However, many observers were under the impression that Zelenskyy fired his top military chief mainly because he viewed the popular leader as a potential competitor. The relationship of trust between the two had long been considered disturbed.
The army chief was more popular than the president
According to surveys, the head of the Army enjoyed more confidence among the population than the president himself. Saluzhny's name was mainly associated with military successes. Even the costly offensive in the south did not prevent this. Salushnyj's public admission of failure in November, which he did not coordinate with the presidential office, is seen as the starting point for open conflict.
There is some evidence to suggest that Zelensky's decision was based on political considerations. Prominent deputies from the ruling Sluha Narodu party began publicly criticizing Saluzhny months ago. Some interpreted the statements by Zelensky's confidants David Arachamija or Marjana Besuhla as a campaign to prepare for Saluzhny's removal. Deputies accused Saluzhny of not presenting a plan for 2024, and the latter openly called for him to resign.