Ukraine's latest challenge: festering tensions among top leaders

As Ukraine battles a fierce Russian offensive and its leaders wait to see whether the West will approve more than $100 million in desperately needed aid, the government in Kiev faces a festering distraction: turmoil at the highest levels, centered on the fate of the highest military commander.

There was speculation Monday in political and military circles, in the news media and online that President Volodymyr Zelensky had dismissed the commander, General Valeriy Zaluzhny. The rumors became so widespread that the President's Office was forced to issue a public denial.

“There has been no resignation,” the president's spokesman, Serhiy Nikiforov, told Ukrainian media.

“I can't say anything else,” he said. Asked whether the president planned to fire the general, Mr. Nikiforov replied: “I repeat again: there is no topic for discussion.”

The brief response only fueled further speculation that the president's office planned to fire General Zaluzhny but backed out after an angry response, and on Tuesday the capital was still preoccupied with whether the general would stay or go .

There have been doubts about the general's role since it became clear in the autumn that Ukraine's counter-offensive in the south of the country had failed.

Ukraine's former president and leading opposition figure, Petro O. Poroshenko, was one of several prominent politicians who quickly addressed the rumors.

He defended General Zaluzhny, saying the military commander had come to personify the unity needed across the country over two years of brutal fighting to save the nation from Russian subjugation.

A decision to depose him would not be motivated “by military and strategic considerations,” he said during a trip to Brussels, adding: “It is based on emotions and jealousy.”

Around the same time he made his statement on social media, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense issued a statement saying the speculation was unfounded.

Along the front lines, where Ukrainians fight intense, bloody fighting every day, uncertainty over the general's fate would be a blow to morale, some soldiers reached by phone said. “Zaluzhny enjoys a very high authority in the army,” said Lieutenant Pavlo Velychko, who serves in the 101st Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukraine. Firing the general, he said, would “send a signal to commanders of all ranks: no matter how well you do your job, you can be removed without cause.”

The uproar among leaders comes at a particularly precarious time for Ukraine in the war. Russia has intensified battlefield attacks while ramping up its propaganda campaign aimed at undermining support for Ukraine in the West. Ukraine, meanwhile, is forced to wait to see how political interests in the United States and Europe affect the prospects for the aid the country so desperately needs.

The conflict between Ukraine's military and civilian leadership has been part of the background discussion in Kiev for months, as has speculation about a change in military leadership.

Neither the people nor their staff have done much to dispel the reports of tension. Although Mr. Zelensky and General Zaluzhny have appeared together at photo opportunities and hosted events, the country's two most powerful leaders have never jointly addressed the nation in any significant way.

The icy relations and lack of any explanation about the general's status have become problems in themselves, said Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker from the opposition European Solidarity party. It was unusual for Mr. Zelensky, a former actor often praised for his communication skills, he said, adding: “The absence of communication is tantamount to confirmation of a problem.”

Friction between the president and his top general has simmered, especially behind the scenes, since shortly after the Russian invasion and when General Zaluzhny's popularity soared thanks to military victories. Among Ukrainian political analysts, the general is seen as a plausible challenger to Zelenskiy if elections now suspended by martial law were to resume.

The schism deepened last fall, when General Zaluzhny published an essay declaring the battle a stalemate, contradicting Mr. Zelensky's hopeful claims of progress. That breach followed a Ukrainian counter-offensive with billions of dollars in Western weapons, which failed to achieve a breakthrough and cost thousands of Ukrainian casualties.

More recently, the two publicly disagreed over whether the civilian or military leadership should be responsible for a plan to call up as many as half a million men to supplement the army. The draft is likely to be unpopular and affect the leaders most closely associated with it, Ukrainian commentators have noted.

The rumors this week were of a slightly different nature: the reaction was faster and more widespread than in the past.

While the Kremlin would certainly want to use any unrest in the Ukrainian command to further undermine support for Ukraine, Moscow has turned to a rotating cast of military figures to lead its war effort.

President Vladimir V. Putin appointed General Valery V. Gerasimov a year ago and dismissed General Sergei Surovikin, who held the position for only three months. General Surovikin had replaced General Aleksandr Dvornikov.

General Gerasimov has not been seen in public this year, fueling rumors that he was injured or killed in a Ukrainian attack while visiting the occupied Crimean peninsula.

Ukrainian military intelligence has said it does not know whether Russia's wartime leader is still alive.

“This is information that requires careful additional verification,” said Andriy Yusov, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Military Intelligence. “This would be very good news for all of us, but we are currently verifying it.”

Friction between civilian and military leadership is a staple of many wars. President Abraham Lincoln fired his commander of the Army of the Potomac, General George B. McClellan, during the Civil War, and during the Korean War, President Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur. But the way military changes are handled is often crucial to how they are perceived.

If any move to replace the general is seen as purely political rather than a military necessity, Zelenskiy could face a backlash not only among opposition politicians but also among the public, which polls show General Zaluzhny is highly regarded.

Maria Varenikova contributed reporting from Kiev, Ukraine.