Another general was replaced in Ukraine: what the military and analysts say

Major Bohdan Krotevych, chief of staff of the Azov brigade, has submitted a request to the State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine about a military general who he believes has killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general. He wrote about this in Telegram.

Almost a few hours later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced that he had replaced Lieutenant General Yuriy Sodol as the commander of the United Forces of Ukraine. Sodol also leads the ground forces in a critical section of the front stretching across eastern Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, and is expected to be removed from that post as well.

The Washington Post reported that the incident is the latest in a series of military leadership reshuffles this year amid Ukraine’s struggle along the 600-mile front line. Sodol has only been in office for four months after being appointed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom Zelenskyi only appointed to the top post earlier this year.

Analysts say a quick removal of Sodol could weaken Syrskyi, who is already disliked by rank-and-file soldiers for what they see as brutal and antiquated tactics reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s army leadership. It also threatens to backfire on Zelenskyi, who assumed more responsibility for battlefield decisions when he fired popular general Valery Zaluzhny in February.

The Washington Post also points out that since Russia invaded more than two years ago, public scrutiny of Ukraine’s military, consistently ranked as the most trusted institution in polls, has been taboo. And disputes and complaints in the ranks are usually kept secret; soldiers who criticize their command may face punishment. Discussions of combat casualties are considered a state secret, which the political leadership of Ukraine has decided to downplay in order not to weaken the morale of society. Krotevych’s call to investigate Sodol is a surprising manifestation of the split in the Ukrainian command. It echoed what other Ukrainian soldiers had quietly complained about for months — what they saw as unwarranted orders that led to casualties at a time when they lacked personnel and weapons. All of this comes as Russia has reclaimed roughly 260 square miles in the past four months.

Zelensky did not give the reason for Sodol’s dismissal, only saying that he will be replaced by General Andrii Hnatov. On Wednesday morning, Zelensky published a video from the Donetsk region, after a visit to the military in the area with Sirsky and Hnatov.

“The task of General Hnatov is clear: to destroy the occupier and, what is important, to preserve the lives of our soldiers as much as possible.” – said Zelensky.

According to his complaint, obtained by The Washington Post, Krotevych accused Sodol of a series of wrongdoings dating back to his role as commander of the doomed defense of the city of Mariupol in 2022. It was during this siege that the Azov brigade gained fame by holding on to the Azovstal plant long after the rest of the city had fallen.

“Although General Sodol did not lead the defense of the city and did not spend a single hour in Mariupol, he was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.” – Krotevych wrote, adding that he did not supply the Azov brigade with ammunition and did not build up the city’s defensive structures before the attack.

“More recently, during his command of the Eastern Front, Sodol ordered Azov to advance without the necessary artillery ammunition, and when arguments were given why this was impossible, “official investigations were launched against Azov’s commander.

Sodol inadequately manages the troops, and his decisions led to the death of thousands of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and other defense units, which led to the weakening of positions at the front and the loss of a large amount of territory.” – said in Krotevych’s complaint.

The Washington Post also notes that other influential people have also questioned Sodol’s command. Ukrainian activist Serhiy Sternenko, whose YouTube channel has nearly 2 million subscribers, wrote on X that his appointment was a “personnel disaster.” Sternenko and others claimed that the Ukrainian marines, who were ordered to storm the left bank of the Kherson region, suffered senseless losses.

“It’s hard to imagine a worse candidate who is more indifferent to the lives of soldiers,” he added.

Deputy Maryana Bezugla, a member of the parliamentary defense committee, called Sodol a “criminal” on Facebook and also called on Syrsky to resign. In the same way, Bezugla criticized the predecessor of Syrsky Zaluzhny.

Analysts at The Washington Post note that the personnel change in Ukraine’s top military corps is taking place at a turbulent time on the battlefield. Since February, Ukraine has lost Avdiivka and a number of villages west of it. Russia also advanced north of Avdiivka, storming the town of Chasiv Yar. And last month, Russia launched a new assault on the northeastern Kharkiv region, seizing new territories near the border.

With each failure on the front line, Syrsky quickly made personnel changes and dismissed lower-level commanders; he even disbanded an entire brigade stationed in the Temporal Ravine.

Less than a week after Russia began its offensive in the Kharkiv region last month, Syrskyi replaced Yuriy Galushkin, who oversaw units in the area.

Recently, battalion and company-level officers who question orders to hold their position when they think it would be wiser to pull back have been punished or fired, soldiers said. According to military personnel, this led to low morale on the battlefield and a growing distrust of senior leadership.

“I saw how senior officers made inadequate decisions because they were ordered by the “generals” from above, and instead of being on the ground, they only gave orders. It was difficult to prove that this was arrogance and stupidity, although the problem was often about moving the position 40-100 meters, which would increase the security of my position.” – the head of the drone division told The Washington Post on condition of anonymity.