Ukrainian President Fires Head Of The Armed Forces

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has dismissed the head of the armed forces, Ruslan Khomchak, citing tensions between the armed forces and the Defence ministry.

Reports say Khomchak will be moved to a post on the national security and defence council. He will be replaced by Valery Zaluzhny, who heads the military’s northern command. Ukrainian troops have fought Russian-backed separatists in a conflict that Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people since 2014.

The Ukrainian media in recent months have reported disputes between the defence ministry and Khomchak. Khomchak in March denied any rift: telling the news outlet gordon.ua:

Ukraine has urged its Western backers to speed up its entry into the NATO military alliance as a deterrent against Russia, though NATO members say Kyiv must reform its armed forces and tackle corruption to be able to apply.