Subscribe here: [ Ссылка ] After days of speculation that change was coming, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media that he was thankful for the service of the outgoing Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi — a military leader popular with troops and the general public. "The time for ... a renewal is now," Zelenskyy said on X.

Ukraine's president replaced his top general Thursday in a shake-up aimed at reigniting momentum in the deadlocked war with Russia, which is grinding into its third year as the country grapples with shortages of ammunition and personnel and struggles to maintain support from the West.

Zelenskyy appointed the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, to lead the army, which needs a morale boost at a time when the conflict with Russia has been at a near stalemate for months. Syrskyi has been instrumental in Ukraine's biggest successes during the war, including overseeing the defense of the capital in the early days of the invasion.

His ascension marks the most significant overhaul of Ukraine's military leadership since Russia's full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 2022. Zaluzhnyi said in a Telegram message that he agreed there is a "need to change approaches and strategy."

An adviser to Zelenskyy, Mykhailo Podolyak, said on X that Ukraine needs to "prevent stagnation on the front line, which negatively affects public sentiment, to find new functional and high-tech solutions that will allow (Ukraine) to retain and develop the initiative."

Syrskyi, 58, was bestowed with the country's highest honor for his role in repelling Moscow's advance on the capital. He has also been credited with orchestrating the successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region.

Ukraine's struggles with ammunition and personnel come on the heels of a failed counteroffensive last summer and as European allies try to bump up their military production. At the same time, a political standoff in the United States is holding up further aid from Ukraine's main supplier.

The Kremlin has lately been focused on taking the eastern Ukraine city of Avdiivka, throwing more troops into the four-month battle and bombarding Ukrainian defenses there.

Before Thursday's announcement, local media had speculated for days that Zelenskyy would sack Zaluzhnyi.

Zaluzhnyi was highly regarded by his troops and by foreign military officials. Some analysts warned that his exit could bring unwelcome disruption, potentially driving a wedge between the Ukrainian army and its politicians, and fueling uncertainty among the country's Western allies.

The signing of long-term contracts with defence companies by EU governments, the removal of all administrative obstacles to the interaction of defence production and the redirection of European arms exports from third countries to Ukraine can significantly increase the number of shells at the front and equalize the artillery balance with Russia.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this during talks in Kyiv with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

The Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, stressed, on Wednesday 7 February during a visit to Kyiv by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, the importance of supplying their country with ammunition.

During the meeting with Borrell, the head of the Kyiv City State Administration emphasized that there is an urgent need for further assistance to Ukraine with air defense systems, weapons, and ammunition.

Russian President Vladimir Putin used an interview with U.S. media personality Tucker Carlson to take a shot at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for joining in a standing ovation for a veteran of a Second World War Nazi unit during his visit to Canada.

Zelenskyy gave an address to Parliament during the September visit. Before that, he was introduced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then-Speaker of the House Anthony Rota.

During his introduction, Rota recognized a man from his riding, Yaroslav Hunka, and praised the Ukrainian-Canadian for fighting the Russians during the Second World War. Zelenskyy, Trudeau and the rest of the House rose to applaud Hunka.

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