Portnikov: there are currently no legal grounds for Syrskyi’s dismissal. VIDEO
Despite reports of a possible replacement for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, current procedures do not allow such a decision to be taken until a new Minister of Defence has been appointed.
According to Censor.NET, tthis view was expressed by journalist and columnist Vitalii Portnikov during a broadcast on his YouTube channel.
According to him, in accordance with the procedure laid down by law, the Minister of Defence submits the candidate for the new Commander-in-Chief to the President. That is why, until a new head of the Ministry of Defence is appointed, there are no legal grounds for dismissing the current Commander-in-Chief.
"From a legal point of view, there will be no resignation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine either today or until a new Minister of Defence of Ukraine is appointed. Simply because there are no legal grounds for this."
At the same time, Portnikov noted that once a new minister has been appointed, it will be the minister who submits the candidate for the new Commander-in-Chief to the President. However, according to the journalist, the head of state will bear political responsibility for the consequences of such a personnel decision.
"The president will be held accountable if, under the new commander’s leadership, Ukraine loses territory, the front line collapses or enemy troops reach Kyiv."
According to Portnikov, during discussions about a possible replacement for the commander-in-chief, attention is being paid not to the candidates’ professional qualities, but to their age and political profile.
"In other words, they want a 35-year-old commander-in-chief to stand alongside the 35-year-old man who headed the Ministry of Defence. And that looks good – until the enemy enters Kyiv and turns the protesters into a bloody mess on the streets of the Ukrainian capital. Then it ceases to matter how old the commander-in-chief is. And then it ceases to matter how broad his smile is. What matters is exactly which part of your body will be pierced by the bayonet of the man walking the streets of Kyiv and clearing it of Ukrainians. That is what becomes important, and that is what must be prevented in the coming years of the Russian-Ukrainian war."
According to Portnikov, if personnel decisions are made not with a view to improving the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but for political reasons, "this will once again be a random decision, taken not to improve the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but to minimise street protests".
Background
In recent days, the topic of a possible change in the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been actively discussed following personnel changes in the government and the resignation of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. As reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Financial Times, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is considering replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi if he finds a candidate capable of ensuring continuity in the command of the troops.
Today, RBC-Ukraine, citing Bloomberg, reported that Mykhailo Drapatyi, commander of the Armed Forces’ Joint Forces, is being considered as one of the most likely candidates for the post of Commander-in-Chief.
