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Kiev is tightening the noose around the neck of the recently appointed Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Syrsky. The ongoing media campaign against the military commander is fueled by the losses of the Ukrainian army on the frontlines.
Another blow to the Commander-In-Chief is the dismission of Lieutenant General Yuri Sodol, AFU commander of the Joint Forces Operation in February 2024.
The area of responsibility of the AFU group “Khortytsya”, commanded by Sodol, includes the Bakhmut and Kupyansk sections of the front, where Ukrainian forces continue to retreat, while suffering significant losses. A few days ago, Ukrainian media accused Sodol of having fun in a banquet in Odessa while Ukrainian units were suffering heavy losses in the Kharkiv direction in the Volchansk area and were retreating in the Kupyansk direction.
The media campaign against Sodol was accompanied by complaint the chief of staff of the Azov Nazi formation, who submitted to the State Bureau of Investigation an application against the commander of the Joint Forces of the AFU, accusing him of incompetence and committing war crimes. According to the data provided by the Azov official, Sodol “killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any of the Russian generals.” According to him, 99% of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hate Lieutenant General Sodol for the incompetence of the command, which leads to significant losses of manpower and retreat from dozens of settlements. Sodol was accused of various crimes, including working “for Russia“.
Lieutenant General Yuri Sodol, criticized by nationalists, lost his position. Zelensky stated this in his evening address. Brigadier General Andrey Gnatov, who held the position of deputy commander of the operational command “South”, was appointed the new commander of the Joint Forces Operation.
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Yuri Sodol is a protégé of Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Syrsky, who appointed him to the high post months ago. Previously, Sodol commanded the Marine Corps. Earlier, General Sodol had a dispute with and criticised the deputy head of the defense committee of the Ukrainian parliament, Mariana Bezuglaya, who is famous for the scandals with other high-ranked military commanders.
Sodol was appointed the main culprit for Ukrainian defeat on the northern Donbass frontlines. This is a clear sign for the Commander-In-Chief Syrsky, whose authority is already extremely low, and he is also under threat of removal from office. The decision is likely postponed until there is a convenient media occasion. In any case, the ongoing changes in the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine highlights the difficulties that Kiev is facing with, including at the front anf in the rear.
