Syrskyi will not have same level of trust as Zaluzhnyi - military expert Zgurets

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"The replacement of the Commander-in-Chief raises certain questions in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The decision made by the President is controversial and comes in a difficult period. When the situation on all fronts is extremely difficult. Indeed, usually in democratic countries, politicians have the upper hand over the military. When we talk about trust, there are indeed nuances that distinguish Zaluzhnyi from Syrskyi. Because the level of trust that Zaluzhnyi enjoyed among the military and civilians, Syrskyi will certainly not enjoy it. But this is a challenge for Syrskyi himself, who has now become the highest military commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Zgurets said.

The military expert also recalled that after a conversation with Zelenskyy, Zaluzhnyi said that everyone has to change in the context of war.

"This word 'everyone' applies to both Zelenskyy and Syrskyi, who is really focused on results at any cost. He has sufficient military experience. I hope that this team of young generals and colonels will be the point of crystallization of new changes. And these changes will affect both Syrskyi's approach to warfare and the introduction of new solutions. They will be based on the effective organization of combat operations, the preservation of personnel, and the transformation of approaches to the operational and strategic level," Zgurets emphasized.

• On February 8, Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the need to replace the military leadership. Later, it was reported that Zaluzhnyi was resigning. 
• On February 8, 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi would become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.