KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Wednesday he plans to get tough on officials he suspects of shirking their duties in the country’s war with Russia, now in its third year.
President Zelensky and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Gen. Oleksandr Shirsky visited troops in the eastern part of Donetsk region, which has endured heavy Russian ground and air attacks in recent months, and discussed drinking water supplies, social issues, evacuation plans and the reconstruction of local homes, Zelensky said.
He added that when he returned to Kiev he would speak to “officials who will be here and in other areas close to the front line, in difficult areas where people need urgent solutions.”
“I was surprised to learn that some of the relevant officials have not been here for more than six months,” Zelensky said. “Serious discussions will take place and we will reach appropriate conclusions regarding them.”
President Zelenskyy made frequent visits to front-line areas during the war.
He said the purpose of his visit to the Donetsk region was to introduce the new commander of the joint forces command, Andriy Khnatov.
Khnatov succeeds Yuri Sodr, who had held the position since February 2023.
Zelenskiy gave no reasons for the change, but it came after Bohdan Krotevich, the widely respected chief of staff of the Azov Regiment, released a statement accusing an unnamed general of having “killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any other Russian general,” a move seen as a reference to incompetent management of the military.
Several Ukrainian media outlets, citing anonymous military sources, said he was referring to Sodr.
Ahead of President Zelenskyy’s visit, Russian forces dropped powerful glide bombs on the city of Seridove in Donetsk Oblast, causing heavy damage to 37 homes, six high-rise buildings and administrative infrastructure, regional authorities said on Wednesday. No injuries were reported.
Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces have shelled 20 settlements in the Donetsk region, killing one person and wounding at least nine, said the region’s head, Vadim Filashkin.
About 250 people have been evacuated from their homes in the Donetsk region since Tuesday, authorities said.
