In an opinion piece published on CNN, Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Zalushny called for a "completely new state system of technological armament." His text is also interesting in light of the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj had apparently tried to remove the military man from his post a few days earlier.
According to CNN, General Salushny's post was made before his falling out with President Zelensky. The station writes that Saluschny wrote the text before the "expected announcement of his dismissal." According to SPIEGEL information, Zelensky tried to persuade Saluschny to resign in a personal conversation. But Saluzhny refused.
It has long been known that the relationship between the president and the army chief is strained. On the one hand, the presidential office suspects Saluschny or at least those around him of harboring political ambitions. The military is extremely popular among the population. In addition, the relationship of trust has been strained since Saluschny published a detailed article on the course of the war, including an interview, in the British magazine "Economist" in November - without consultation, as the presidential office complained. One thing is clear: almost two years after Russia's attack, the president has decided to replace the military leadership, but there is great resistance.
And now the text on CNN: Saluzhny writes there that Ukraine must find new ways and capabilities to gain an advantage over Russia as the full-scale war approaches its third year. »The challenge for our armed forces must not be underestimated. “It consists in creating a completely new state system of technological upgrading,” he wrote. »All things considered, in our opinion the creation of such a system could be achieved in five months. Our partners are of the same opinion.«
The general sees Russia as having “a significant advantage in mobilizing human resources.” And writes of an insufficient reaction on his own side: The state institutions in Ukraine are "not in a position to improve the number of personnel in our armed forces without unpopular measures." We are being slowed down by "the inadequacies of the legal framework in our country and by the partial monopolization of the arms industry." The resulting production bottlenecks, for example in ammunition, would ensure that Ukraine would become increasingly dependent on its allies.
That is why Ukraine must focus on three goals: high-tech equipment for the armed forces, a new training and war philosophy and learning new combat skills. “We already have the capabilities to eliminate the enemy and ensure the existence of statehood,” concludes Valeriy Zalushny.
mgo/Reuters