Top general Aleksandr Syrsky reportedly made the dismissals in light of recent Russian advances
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Aleksandr Syrsky has over the past two weeks fired two senior officers as Kiev’s forces have continued to lose ground, Ukrainian and Russian outlets reported on Monday.
Ukrainska Pravda identified the commanders as Vladimir Silenko, who led the 17th Army Corps and Maksim Kituhin, who was in charge of the 20th Army Corps. The reports noted that the dismissals followed setbacks in Dnepropetrovsk Region and Russia’s Zaporozhye Region, where Russian forces have taken control of Kamenskoe and parts of Plavni, respectively.
RBC Ukraine cited the General Staff as confirming the dismissals, attributing the decision to “shortcomings in the management of troops,” which led to personnel losses and a retreat from defensive positions. Both Silenko and Kituhin have reportedly been reassigned.
Commenting on Syrsky’s action, Vladimir Rogov, a member of Russia’s Civic Chamber, told RIA Novosti that the Ukrainian top general was seeking “scapegoats” for his own failures. Rogov said the dismissed commanders had warned Syrsky of imminent Russian offensives, but their concerns were ignored.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has announced the capture of several settlements in recent days, including Olgovskoe in Zaporozhye. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has said that Moscow’s troops now hold the strategic initiative, conducting a “non-stop offensive” along nearly the entire front.
Gerasimov reported at the end of August that Russian forces now control more than 70% of Zaporozhye Region and three quarters of Kherson Region, in addition to nearly the whole of Donetsk and Lugansk.
Syrsky himself has recently admitted that Russian troops outnumber Kiev’s forces by three to six times in key areas. He described August as a “month of great trials,” with Russian advances recorded in multiple directions.
Moscow has repeatedly said it remains open to a diplomatic settlement of the conflict but will continue its military campaign until the root causes of the hostilities are resolved. Russian officials insist that any peace deal must include Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and recognition of the territories that joined Russia following referendums.
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