Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied rumors that he fired army Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhny on January 30 following reports that the latter had been forced to step down. What's behind the controversy? The Ukrainian President's Office has shredded rumors circulating on Monday of General Zaluzhny's sacking, with the top commander publishing a photo depicting him and Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine Sergei Shaptala in Zaluzhny's office.
Earlier, some prominent Ukrainian lawmakers and journalists claimed that Zaluzhny had been dismissed from the post of commander-in-chief, adding, however, that Zelensky had yet to issue the decree.
"I think that this was perhaps a deliberate action on Zelensky’s part because Zelensky needs to take some action to restore his popularity," Anatoliy Matviychuk, a military expert and retired colonel, told Sputnik. "The test showed that [Zelensky] does not have authority in any of [Ukraine] power groups. So he backed off."