President Zelenskyy removes Lieutenant General Sodol from joint forces command following accusations of incompetence, appointing Brigadier General Hnatov as replacement amidst ongoing territorial conflicts in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Lieutenant General Yuriy Sodol from his position as commander of the joint forces of the Ukrainian army following allegations of battlefield incompetence. Sodol’s replacement, Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov, was announced on Monday evening.
The dismissal followed a public accusation made by Bohdan Krotevych, chief of staff of the Azov national guard brigade, who blamed Sodol for the deaths of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers. Krotevych’s complaints prompted an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI).
Sodol, who had been in his role since February, faced criticism for his leadership during a period marked by delays in US military aid and renewed Russian advances. Hnatov, who previously managed the defenses of Mykolayiv and Bakhmut, takes over during ongoing territorial struggles in eastern Ukraine.
