By Zachary Goelman
(Reuters) – Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov rejected any notion on Tuesday that two of the country’s top military commanders were about to be dismissed.
“On this matter, there is no such question,” Umerov told a news conference alongside his Latvian counterpart. “On this matter, I am always open and if the question is ever raised, I will say something immediately. There are no such issues.”
At issue at the news conference was the future of Commander in Chief Valery Zaluzhnyi and Joint Forces Commander Serhiy Nayev.
The possibility of change in Ukraine’s top military ranks has been raised several times since relations cooled between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Zaluzhnyi over the commander’s view of the conduct of the 21-month-old war against Russia.
Zaluzhnyi, in a published essay last month, said the war was entering a phase of attrition similar to World War One battles.
The president disagreed with any notion that the war was subject to a stalemate, though he has acknowledged that a counteroffensive launched in the east and south in June has moved more slowly than had been hoped.
Umerov, appointed in September, made a similar denial last month that changes in Ukraine’s command were under consideration.
In his latest comments, Umerov said rotations of positions were a normal part of military operations “but there are no such issues, however much our enemies want to knock us off stride”.
“Everyone is subject to change, absolutely everyone,” he told reporters. “We will do everything necessary for our victory, but for today, there is no such issue.”
(Reporting by Reuters TV and Ron Popeski; Editing by Nick Macfie)
