Zelenskyy dismisses senior Ukrainian Army Commander

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the dismissal of Lieutenant General Yuriy Sodol, Commander of the Ukrainian Joint Forces, following reports of poor performance during the ongoing 28-month war with Russia.

Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address on Monday, did not provide any reason for the dismissal. 

He announced that Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov would replace Sodol in the role, which includes responsibilities for strategic operational planning.

Sodol's dismissal followed the release of a message from Bohdan Krotevych, head of the Azov Battalion, a respected unit in Ukraine, who stated that Sodol's actions had led to significant military setbacks.

In a post on the Telegram app, Krotevych did not mention Sodol by name but stated that there was a general who had "killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general."

Krotevych wrote, "What matters to me is that battalion and brigade commanders are court-martialed for losing an observation post, but a general is not tried for losing areas, dozens of towns, and thousands of soldiers."

He added, "All military personnel now understand whom I am talking about, as 99 percent of the army hates him for what he does."

The online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, citing a leaked report, stated that a criminal complaint had been filed against Sodol, who was promoted earlier this year. It said Krotevych was prepared to testify against him.

Reuters