Ukraine commander Syrsky faces scrutiny amid reports he could be removed

Ukraine's commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky is facing renewed scrutiny amid reports that President Volodymyr Zelensky is considering removing him.

Ukrainian and foreign media have reported that Syrsky's removal is under consideration. The possible change comes as Ukraine appears to be in its strongest position in the war for months.

Syrsky, 60, is a Soviet-trained career officer who was born in Russia and trained in Moscow. He later served in Soviet Ukraine, studied at the National Defence University in Kyiv and joined the new Ukrainian army after the collapse of the USSR.

He led the defence of Kyiv after Russia's 2022 invasion and later oversaw Ukraine's counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region. In 2024, he led Ukraine's attack into Russia's Kursk region, described in the source as the first sustained foreign incursion into Russia since World War II.

Despite those military achievements, Syrsky has long faced criticism over his command style. Critics accused him of not caring enough about the number of troops killed and gave him the nickname "butcher." A high-placed Ukrainian official said after Syrsky's 2024 appointment that he was very tough, but that an army general had to be tough.

Public anger has grown amid fatigue and anger at army scandals. Zelensky's surprise removal of reformist Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had been brought in to modernise the army, triggered the largest war-related demonstrations since 2022. Young protesters in Kyiv chanted against Syrsky and called for him to be removed.

Syrsky has presented himself as a soldier rather than a political figure. In a rare article published Monday, he said his job was war, that he had no political ambitions and that he dealt with the war around the clock. Analyst Anatolii Oktysiuk of the KI Research Group in Kyiv said Syrsky was not a politician, spoke Ukrainian poorly, was not a public communicator and adapted to what Zelensky wanted.

Oktysiuk said Syrsky had built a system in which initiative and independence were suppressed while loyal generals were promoted. Fedorov, after being ousted, accused Syrsky of blocking efforts to modernise procurement, equipment and mobilisation. Syrsky rejected the accusations and said the matter should be handled behind closed doors, saying wars were won by work rather than public drama.

Syrsky's Russian roots have also remained part of public discussion. His parents and brother still live in Russia, and his brother told Russia's state TASS news agency when Syrsky was appointed that they had long stopped speaking. After the Kursk attack, an internet meme joked that Syrsky wanted to go home.

An army spokesman said Syrsky is married and has two sons. Even Fedorov, one of his rivals, said Syrsky's contribution should be appreciated, while also saying the war and command system had changed and Ukraine had to change. Political expert Volodymyr Fesenko said Zelensky needed a younger version of Syrsky: someone more flexible, more communicative and more appealing to society, but said such a person did not seem to exist.