With almost two years since Russia's military invasion of Ukraine began, major Western newspapers have reported that there is a growing debate within Ukraine as to whether or not General Zarzhny of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be fired. , reported all at once. Generally speaking, there is nothing special about military commanders being replaced after a certain period of time. However, Ukraine is receiving a lot of attention because it faces the challenge of homeland defense, which is the fate of the country.
"Catch! World's Top News" Caster Shoichiro Beppu's commentary.
(Contents broadcast on January 31st)
At the center of the debate is General Zarzhini.
He is reportedly 50 years old, born in 1973, and was appointed commander-in-chief by President Zelenskiy in 2021, the year before Russia's military invasion began.
When the Russian invasion began, he defended the capital, Kiv, and then led successful counteroffensives in the eastern Kharkiv region and the southern Kherson region, gaining great support from the people.
However, in recent months, there have been frequent reports of a feud with President Zelenskiy.
The reason behind this is that the large-scale reversal offensive that attracted attention last year did not produce the expected results.
In this regard, General Zarzhini wrote an article in the British magazine ``The Economist'' last November, pointing out that the war situation had ``reached a stalemate''.
Originally, the reverse offensive carried out in the absence of air superiority was disadvantageous for the Ukrainian side, and the commander-in-chief's points can be said to be a frank analysis of the current situation, but immediately after that, President Zelenskiy said in another interview. Although he said, ``We are in a difficult situation,'' he denied that ``I don't think we are at a standstill.''
President Zelenskiy's remarks were seen to be from the standpoint of encouraging the morale of the people and requesting support from the West, but dissonance between the two sides surfaced due to differing analyzes of the current situation regarding the war situation. It was accepted.
Since then, the view that there is a feud between the two sides has become even stronger due to domestic political circumstances.
If the presidential election, which is expected to be postponed due to wartime, is held, there is a possibility that Commander-in-Chief Zarzhny could become a strong rival for President Zelenskiy, who is seeking re-election.
Under these circumstances, information is spreading despite the presidential office's spokesperson denying that there will be no dismissal.
In Ukraine, it is not clear what kind of strategy will be developed this year after the harsh results of last year's reversal offensive.
In particular, the long-term outlook for U.S. aid is uncertain, as there is a possibility that Trump, who is said to be against aid to Ukraine, will be re-elected in the November presidential election.
The debate over the dismissal of the military commander-in-chief appears to be a reflection of the difficult current situation in Ukraine, which is forced to fight for its homeland defense.