Ukraine’s army chief expected to lose job after week of protests

Thousands of demonstrators have called for commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi to be removed from his post. Photograph: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters View image in fullscreen Thousands of demonstrators have called for commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi to be removed from his post. Photograph: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters Ukraine’s army chief expected to lose job after week of protests Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff hints government may be about to sack Oleksandr Syrskyi Ukraine’s commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi is widely expected to lose his job amid signs that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bowed to pressure from protesters and will reshuffle the army’s top leadership. Over the past five days, thousands of demonstrators have gathered outside the presidential office in Kyiv, chanting: “Syrskyi out”. Some have waved cheese graters – a pun on the commander name, which sounds like cheese in Ukrainian. The country’s general staff denied media reports on Monday that Syrskyi was about to be sacked. It said Gen Syrskyi and his deputy, Andriy Hnatov, continued to carry out their duties. “Dismissal from these posts takes place on the basis of a decree by the president of Ukraine ,” it added. Despite these denials, Zelenskyy’s influential chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, hinted that the government had listened to the popular mood. “The position of society has been heard. The situation was being resolved “professionally and constructively”, he said, urging “everyone to keep calm”. “The enemy is closely watching every one of our internal disputes and waiting for us to start fighting among ourselves. Work is under way. Results will follow,” he stated. The noisy protests began last Thursday after Zelenskyy sacked Ukraine’s young and popular defence minister, Mykhailo Federov. Aged 35 and a moderniser, he is widely credited with improving the country’s position in the battlefield during the six months he was in the job. Zelenskyy confirmed last week that the relationship between Federov and Syrskyi had broken down. Following his firing, Federov said Syrskyi had blocked reforms with “bureaucratic impediments” and ignored data, instead rewarding brigades that were loyal to him personally. View image in fullscreen Protests began in Kyiv last week after Volodymyr Zelenskyy sacked Ukraine’s young and popular defence minister, Mykhailo Federov. Photograph: Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty Images One source in the armed forces confirmed Syrskyi’s imminent departure. “His destiny is decided. The question is who will replace him. There are a few important requirements. The person should be known and popular so everyone applauds,” they said. “But they should also not have open political ambitions so as not to create a new rival. It should be an experienced military guy who listens to the president and does what he wants to do,” the source added. On Monday Zelenskyy met with several possible replacements. The senior commanders included Mykhailo Drapatiy, the head of Ukraine’s joint