Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, much like his predecessor Valery Zaluzhny, has come into open conflict with the Ukrainian president’s office.
There is even talk of Syrskyi’s dismissal for refusing to carry out Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s orders to execute a ground offensive deemed by the army chief as “futile.”
According to the news site EADaily, the commander-in-chief was ordered to launch a major offensive but refused, saying that without proper equipment and air support, such a counteroffensive would turn into a meat grinder in which many soldiers would die.
A source quotes Syrskyi as telling Zelensky that his soldiers would be killed in a futile, unprepared attack.
If reports of a disagreement are accurate, they explain the recent scandal involving Marjana Bezugla, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, who denounced the chief prosecutor for refusing to allow her to travel to the frontline, which Bezugla said was an obstacle to her exercising her constitutional rights.
It was not yet known why the MP wanted to visit the frontline fighters and see for herself the conditions there, but the feud between Zelensky and Syrskyi may be a factor.
