JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s Zelensky, Facing Rising Challenges, Touts Leadership Overhaul” – WSJ
“President says country’s leadership needs a ‘reset’ as he faces battlefield pressures and flagging Western support”
“… Zelensky’s deliberations over Zaluzhniy and other officials [have] add[ed] domestic political drama to other pressures, including Russian military offensives that are inching forward and political deadlock in the U.S. over a proposed new aid package. … The raft of challenges … test the political acumen of Zelensky, a 46-year-old former TV comedian who garnered acclaim at home and abroad for remaining in Kyiv in February 2022 as Russian forces closed in. Back then, he lifted the nation with his defiant oratory and helped swing the West behind Ukraine with ever-larger weapons deliveries. But as the war approaches a third year, and Ukrainian forces run short on ammunition and struggle to hold back Russian offensives, Western officials worry about cracks in unity in Kyiv and instability that a change to army leadership could cause. A December poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed that 72% of people surveyed were against the removal of Zaluzhniy, a 50-year-old career soldier who has served as Ukraine’s top military commander since 2021. …”