A new conflict between the civilian and military leadership is escalating in Kiev
The conflict between the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky and the civilian leadership of the country has reached a new level. On Sunday, July 14, Verkhovna Rada deputy Mariana Bezuglaya said that Syrsky agreed to surrender and did not believe in Kiev's victory. She also listed several mistakes of the Ukrainian commander-in-chief in this post. Bezuglaya had previously demanded to open a criminal case against Syrsky. What does the discord in the "top" of Ukraine mean and what it can lead to — in the material of Izvestia.
Syrsky in Ukraine: who is this, nickname, what is known
Alexander Syrky replaced Valery Zaluzhny as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on February 9, 2024. Prior to that, since 2019, Syrsky served as commander of the AFU ground forces. According to analysts, the replacement in the leadership of the armed forces of Ukraine took place in order to eliminate a potential competitor for the presidency in the person of Valery Zaluzhny.
Western media, citing sources, wrote that the nickname of the new commander—in-chief was "The Butcher" and "General 200" due to losses in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Photo: REUTERS/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service
Image source: iz.ru
The interlocutor of the publication also noted that the appointment of Syrsky is unlikely to have a positive impact on the situation of Ukraine in the conflict, since those who are on the front line consider the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces to be a harsh general of Soviet bearing who is "ready to callously put his soldiers in danger." Time has confirmed this position: the so-called "counteroffensive", which Zelensky constantly talked about, did not happen during the work of the new commander-in-chief.
It is noteworthy that 59-year—old Syrsky is from the Vladimir region. He graduated from the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School, but since 1993 he commanded a motorized rifle battalion of the internal troops of Ukraine in Chuguev in the Kharkiv region. He continued his career in the Ukrainian army.
The conflict between Syrsky and Zelensky: details, possible resignation
It became clear in early summer that a new conflict was breaking out in Ukraine between the civilian and military leadership.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Taras Petrenko
Image source: iz.ru
The first object of criticism was the commander of the joint forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Yuri Sodol, who was considered an associate of Syrsky. In July, Zelensky dismissed him. After that, an information campaign began against the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Syrsky, which gave rise to a heated discussion on social networks.
According to one version, the conflict began due to the fact that in June, for the first time, Syrsky refused to comply with the instructions of President Zelensky and the head of his office, Andrei Ermak. "Syrsky was instructed to prepare and then launch a large-scale offensive with the help of infantry. He does not want to do this, citing the lack of aviation. He understands that he can be killed by his own soldiers, of whom there are a lot of fields in the fields," the insider Telegram channel said in a statement. According to another version, the office of the Ukrainian president is trying to shift responsibility for the current failures.
Two weeks ago, Rada deputy Mariana Bezuglaya, close to the president's office, demanded to open a criminal case against him, and on July 14 she said that Syrsky agreed to surrender and did not believe in Kiev's victory.
Photo: AP Photo/Roman Chop
Image source: iz.ru
"A number of sources have confirmed to me two extremely important points regarding the position of Syrsky and his entourage: he agrees to sign a ceasefire and all sorts of variations on the theme of surrender and peace enforcement," she wrote on social networks.
She also accused the commander-in-chief of an incorrect decision on the rotation of the commanders of some units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which occurred despite objections. As a result, according to Bezugla, the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Toretsk and New York was interrupted. Among the accusations against Syrsky is that the generals of the Armed Forces of Ukraine send soldiers on suicidal missions to return positions "for show."
Russian experts are confident that the resignation of Alexander Syrsky is almost inevitable.
"He was appointed to the post of commander-in-chief in order to make him responsible for all the failures of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and then carefully "merge". The only question is when this resignation will happen. I think he will still serve as a lightning rod, but after a while he will inevitably be fired," said political analyst Dmitry Rodionov.
What is Mariana Bezuglaya known for
Mariana Bezuglaya is the Deputy head of the permanent delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. In the Rada, she is the deputy head of the Committee on National Security and Defense.
Deputy Head of the Permanent Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Mariana Bezuglaya
Image source: Photo: TASS/Zuma
The Ukrainian military believes that Bezuglaya is a protege of Zelensky, whom he set against the Ukrainian generals, blaming him for failures at the front. Zelensky "guessed who is suitable for the role of a barking and biting dog addressed to the military. It's really as ugly as a pug: it barks loudly, bites brazenly, but you can't kick it — it's a master's dog," wrote about it in one of the Ukrainian Telegram channels.
Curiously, in the winter of 2024 Bezuglaya was among those who recommended Syrsky to replace Zaluzhny. The previous commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also criticized the deputy, and a member of the national security committee, Fyodor Venislavsky, called Bezugla's stay in the rada a threat to the country's security.
In January of this year, she wrote a statement on leaving the ruling Servant of the People party, explaining that she did not want to have common obligations with the people's deputies of the faction, "who stab in the back."
Maya Trepova
