Zelenskiy fires a top Ukrainian military commander, no reason given

FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appears on a screen as he addresses French lawmakers via video link, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at the National Assembly in Paris, France, on March 23, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday, February 26, fired a senior military commander helping lead the fight against Russian troops in the country’s embattled east but gave no reason for the move.

In a one-line decree, Zelenskiy announced the dismissal of Eduard Moskalyov as commander of the joint forces of Ukraine, which are engaged in battles in the Donbas region.

Zelenskiy mentioned Moskalyov in a daily address on Friday when listing the military commanders he had spoken to. Moskalyov had been in the post since March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.

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Neither the joint forces’ Facebook nor Twitter accounts made any mention of the dismissal.

Russian forces are making concerted efforts to capture the two eastern regions that make up the Donbas, and Zelenskiy has in recent weeks variously described the military situation in the east as difficult and painful.

Pro-Moscow units are focusing their efforts on the city of Bakhmut, mounting repeated assaults despite suffering what Ukrainian and Western officials say are heavy casualties.

In a Facebook post, the Ukrainian armed forces’ general staff said Russian troops had carried out several unsuccessful attacks in the Bakhmut area on Sunday.

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