FT
Crisis engulfs military after Ukrainian president dismissed his popular defence minister
Oleksandr Syrsky is known by some troops as ‘the butcher’ because of his willingness to sustain heavy casualties © Press service of Operational-Strategic Command “Khortytsya”/AFP via Getty Images
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is considering sacking Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, who is known as “the Butcher”, as he seeks to navigate a path out of the biggest military leadership crisis of his presidency. Oleksandr Syrsky’s leadership of the armed forces has become a lightning rod for protests that have grown since Zelenskyy fired the civilian defence minister after a deepening rift between the two leaders became untenable.
According to a senior administration official, Zelenskyy is gathering military commanders this weekend to hear their assessments of the battlefield situation and to interview candidates to take command of the army. That person said Zelenskyy was open to removing Syrsky from his post if he could find a commander who would ensure a smooth transfer of power while maintaining a strong defence along the 1,200km front line.
Zelenskyy fired Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister this week after Syrsky presented the president with an “ultimatum” to remove the 35-year-old cabinet minister, according to Fedorov.
The move exposed divisions over Ukraine’s military strategy and the willingness of the armed forces to address its shortcomings just as momentum in the war against Russia has swung in its favour.
But the president’s consideration of dismissing Syrsky came only after protests over Fedorov’s sacking broadened on Friday night into a wider campaign against the commander. Thousands of Ukrainians gathered outside the presidential administration building in what was one of the largest protests in years. They chanted, “Syrsky out!”
Dmytro Koziatynskyi, a military veteran who organised the demonstrations, wrote on X that the movement’s primary demand was Syrsky’s dismissal, followed by Fedorov’s reappointment. He called on Ukrainians to return to the streets at 8pm on Saturday.
Zelenskyy told reporters this week that the relationship between Fedorov and Syrsky had grown so bad that the two were no longer on speaking terms and could only communicate when the president himself acted as meditator. “Without me they don’t sit down together [to talk],” he said.
He had “wanted unity very much” between Fedorov and Syrsky but “did not achieve it”. Fedorov told reporters in an extraordinary press conference on Thursday that Syrsky had blocked his efforts to reform the defence ministry and accused him of enabling corruption. He gave Syrsky credit for his successful efforts in defending Kyiv in the early weeks of the 2022 invasion and counteroffensives in Kharkiv and Kherson that autumn. But he said that “if we want to defeat the enemy asymmetrically, with minimal losses, we need to change the commander-in-chief and chief of the general staff”.
Pointing to Ukraine’s escalating drone strikes against Russian targets, he said the nature of the war was changing but that Syrsky was not changing with it.
Overnight, seven people were killed and 51 wounded by Ukrainian drone attacks near Moscow and in the Tambov region, Russian officials said.
Syrsky did not respond to requests for comment and in a statement on Thursday did not address the allegations directly.
Fedorov said he had urged Zelenskyy to fire Syrsky, saying a reboot of senior military leadership was needed to defeat Russia. Fedorov and Syrsky held fundamentally different views on how the war should be fought. The defence minister saw drones and automation as the future of warfare, while the general remained committed to a traditional approach centred on assault infantry and artillery.
Ukraine’s western partners and Nato officials had worked closely with Fedorov and supported his reformist plans at the country’s opaque ministry of defence.
His sudden removal was a shock, according to a western defence attaché in Kyiv. Syrsky, a stern-faced commander trained in the Soviet military tradition, is known among some troops as “the Butcher” because of his willingness to sustain heavy casualties in pursuit of military objectives.
Syrsky assumed the role of top commander in February 2024, after the controversial sacking of his popular predecessor, Valeriy Zaluzhny, who now serves as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK.
Military veterans and active-duty troops joined the protests against Fedorov’s firing and in support of Syrsky’s dismissal on Thursday and Friday, in a rare sign of public dissent from the military ranks. The protests swelled on Friday night, with many thousands of demonstrators turning out in Ivan Franko Square outside the presidential office in Kyiv, and in big cities such as Lviv and Odesa.
Zelenskyy is also still in search of a new ambassador to Washington, according to aides. His top choice remains former prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who was dismissed in this week’s cabinet shuffle, said one aide, although she turned down the offer.
People close to the president said that he was still trying to convince her to take on the role, which comes at a crucial moment in the war and Ukraine’s relationship with the Trump administration.
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Zel should not allow himself to be pressured into sacking Gen. Sirskyi.
Neither should he have allowed himself to sack Fedorov, if it came from pressure from Sirskyi.
However, it’s too late to change course now. He needs to listen to trusted team members like Budanov and Umerov.
The arrival of Vitalii Kim will add strength and charisma to his team.
If Zel was as stupid and jealous of potential rivals as some claim, he would not have brought Mr Kim in.
Zelensky is in a tough spot. But it’s his own fault, for his unintelligent decision to fire Federov with such speed brought it on him. Since he is too inexperienced in military matters, he should get counseling from trusted people in Ukraine AND from his closest partners in Europe. It’s no big deal to let things go on as they were … Ukraine is doing great … and in time, he can still fire one or the other.