Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Zaluzhny named three main goals in the war with the Russian Federation for 2024

Ukraine is faced with the task of creating a completely new state system of technological re-equipment, which can be achieved in five months, says Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny.

Outlining his strategy for victory, taking into account the problems of containing Ukraine militarily, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny in his article for CNN, published February 1, outlined three main objectives on which to focus efforts in the war.

In the material entitled “The design of war has changed,” he talks about his vision of a new strategy for the war against Russia. The Commander-in-Chief admits that Ukraine is inferior to the enemy in the number of weapons and mobilization of human resources, and proposes to rely on expanding the production and use of drones:

“Thus, in 2024, we must focus our main efforts on three areas:

1. Creation of a system for providing our Armed Forces with high-tech equipment.
2. The introduction of a new philosophy of training and conducting combat operations, which takes into account limitations in means and methods of their use.
3. Master new combat capabilities as quickly as possible.”

According to Zaluzhny, the publication notes, Ukraine already has the capabilities to destroy the enemy and ensure the existence of statehood:

“Our goal should be to use the moment – to maximize the accumulation of the latest combat capabilities, which will allow us to devote fewer resources to causing maximum harm to the enemy, stopping aggression and protecting Ukraine from it in the future. Our combat experience, especially since 2022, is unique – but in the interests of victory, we must constantly find new ways and new opportunities that will help us gain an advantage over the enemy.”

Zaluzhny describes the difficulties that Ukraine has faced both on the battlefield and due to the reduction of Western aid, which is leading to the depletion of arms stocks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He also writes about the ineffectiveness of Western sanctions, thanks to which Russia is developing its military-industrial complex. He actually reproached the country’s political leadership for its inability to provide mobilization process into the army and announced problems in the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, pointing out the monopolization of this industry:

“We must recognize the significant advantage that the enemy has in mobilizing human resources and compare it with the inability of Ukraine’s state institutions to increase the size of our armed forces without resorting to unpopular measures. Finally, we continue to be held back by the imperfection of the legal and regulatory framework in our country, and “also partial monopolization of the defense industry. This leads to bottlenecks in the production of, for example, ammunition, which further exacerbates Ukraine’s dependence on its allies for supplies.”

Editor’s note: Valeriy Zaluzhny has been Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2021. The article was written before the expected announcement of his dismissal. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.

Analyzing the article by Zaluzhny, edition notes: Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Zaluzhny says Ukraine must adapt to reduced military aid from its key allies and focus even more heavily on technology if it wants to win the war against Russia.

In an article for CNN presented against the backdrop of a whirlwind rumors about his futureZaluzhny also addressed the issue of mass mobilization, which is a source of tension between him and President Vladimir Zelensky.

The general’s article made no mention of his relationship with the president, nor of reports that Zelensky plans to announce his resignation after four years in office. The move could happen within days, the source said.

As Bild reports, citing sources, the President of Ukraine really wanted to dismiss the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but Kirill Budanov and Alexander Syrsky, whom the media called his possible successors, opposed. According to them, Zaluzhny wanted to withdraw troops from Avdiivka a few weeks ago, but the president refused him this and on December 30 he personally went to the city to the front line to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters. One Ukrainian officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said:

“The power struggle between President Zelensky or Ermak and General Zaluzhny is a complex and long story that negatively affects the overall situation in Ukraine. Frankly, it puts us in a pretty shitty position.”

Earlier, many journalists reported that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky intends to resign, including the BBC Russian Service, as well as the Financial Times and Washington Post. Just like other sources, CNN says that on Monday Zelensky held a meeting with Zaluzhny, at which he said that the decision to fire him had already been made, but as a result he did not sign the corresponding decree. One of CNN’s interlocutors told the television company that he expects such a decree to appear before the end of this week.

As possible candidates for the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, CNN names the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, and the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Syrsky. On Tuesday, CNN correspondents asked Budanov about a possible appointment, but he said that in the event of such a development of events, it is unlikely that he would talk to the American television company. “We are in a state of war, and all sides are using all available methods, including information warfare,” Budanov said. Representatives for Syrsky did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Zaluzhny’s article on CNN was published in an abridged version. You can read it in full Here.

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