President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that he had fired Lt. Gen. Yuri Sodr, commander of Ukraine's joint forces, after reports emerged of the leader's poor performance in the 28-month-old war with Russia.
Zelenskiy, in a video address late at night, did not give any reasons for the dismissal, but said that Sodr had been replaced in the post, which involves strategic planning for the operation, by Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov.
Sodr's firing was one in a series of personnel changes and came after Bohdan Krotevich, the commander of Ukraine's respected Azov Regiment, published a letter alleging that Sodr's actions had led to serious military setbacks.
In a post on the Telegram messaging app, Krotevich did not name Sodr but said an unnamed general had “killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general”.
“What concerns me is that a battalion or brigade commander can be tried for losing an observation post, but a general cannot be tried for losing an area, dozens of cities, and thousands of soldiers,” Krotevich wrote.
“Everybody in the military now knows who I'm talking about, because 99 percent of the military hates what he did.”
News outlet Ukrainska Pravda, citing a leaked report, said a criminal complaint had been filed against Sodor but did not name him. It said Krotevich was ready to testify against Sodor, who was only promoted earlier this year.
Khnatov has served as deputy commander of the Southern Operational Region since 2022 and played a leading role in recapturing much of southern Kherson Oblast from Russian invaders.
In the spring of 2023, he led the defense of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, a town that eventually fell to Russian forces after months of fierce fighting. In a social media post after the president's announcement, Klotevich described Khnatov as a “very capable officer.”
The military has undergone significant changes as Russian forces have gained strength in recent months and slowly advanced through eastern Ukraine.
The military's top commander, Valery Zarzhiny, was fired in February after publicly disagreeing with President Zelensky over the conduct of the war.
