NEW DELHI: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ukrainian troops on the southeastern front and awarded them medals, according to a statement from his office. This visit comes amidst speculation about the potential dismissal of the popular army chief.
Zelenskyy expressed his honor to be present and support the warriors who are facing a challenging mission to defend Ukraine against the enemy.The visit took place in the Zaporizhzhia region, where the president visited the forward positions near the village of Robotyne, which was liberated in August during the counteroffensive against Russian forces.
The visit to the battle lines coincides with uncertainty surrounding the fate of army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. It has been reported that the Ukrainian government has informed the White House about its plans to remove Zaluzhnyi from his position. The army chief, who is also known as ‘the Iron General’ and is highly popular among Ukrainian troops, has faced disagreements with Zelenskyy on various matters.
Zaluzhnyi’s potential dismissal raises concerns about the morale of Ukrainian troops who are engaged in a challenging task of holding positions along more than 620 miles (1,000 kms) of frontlines against a well-equipped Russian force. The Ukrainian counteroffensive last year failed to recover significant amounts of Russian-held territory.