00:00 "He was the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, now in the top job of military commander-in-chief.
00:08 In the biggest military shake-up since Russia's invasion, the new face of Ukraine's armed
00:13 forces is Oleksandr Sirsky, the 58-year-old known as the mastermind behind Kiev's surprise
00:19 and successful counter-offensive in the autumn of 2022.
00:23 The move replaces former top commander Valery Zheluzhny, who'd led the troops since the
00:28 start of the war, and the Ukrainian president has explained his reasons for the shuffle,
00:33 saying it was based on pushing for a different approach to military strategy after analysing
00:38 two years of war.
00:40 "It's not about surnames, and even less so not about politics.
00:46 This is about the system of our army, about management in the armed forces of Ukraine
00:51 and about exposing commanders of this war to combat experience.
00:55 Every soldier, every sergeant and every officer who sees the front understands what decisions
01:01 are needed.
01:02 I am grateful to General Valery Zheluzhny for two years of protection and for every
01:07 victory we achieved together."
01:10 Dubbed the "Iron General", former chief Zheluzhny came to be a symbol of Ukrainian resistance
01:15 during nearly two years of war, and was immensely popular and respected amongst the troops and
01:21 the public.
01:22 However, the failure of last year's march talks about Ukrainian counter-offensive and
01:26 rumours of a public disagreement with Zelensky cause strange relations.
01:31 According to the president, Zheluzhny has been offered a position to remain a part of
