Kiev, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky indicated on Wednesday that he will take stricter action against civil servants he suspects are shirking their duties in the war with Russia this is now in its third year.
Zelenskyy and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi visited troops in the eastern Donetsk region who endured the fighting heavy Russian ground and air attacks in recent months. They also discussed with local officials drinking water supply, social issues, evacuation plans and reconstruction of local homes, Zelenskyy said.
He added that he would speak in Kiev with “officials who need to be near the front lines here and in other areas – in difficult communities where people need immediate solutions.”
“I was surprised to hear that some relevant officials have not been here for six months or more,” Zelenskyy said. “There will be a serious conversation, and I will draw appropriate conclusions about it.”
Zelensky does visited often frontline areas during the war.
He said his trip to the Donetsk region was to introduce the new commander of the Joint Forces Command, Andrii Hnatov.
Hnatov replaced Yurii Sodol, who had held the position since February 2023.
Zelenskiy did not give a reason for the change, but it came after the Azov Regiment’s widely admired chief of staff, Bohdan Krotevych, issued a statement chiding an unnamed general for having “killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any Russian general also”. which was seen as a reference to incompetent management of troops.
Several Ukrainian media outlets, citing unidentified sources within the armed forces, said he was referring to Sodol.
Ahead of Zelenskyy’s visit, Russian forces dropped a powerful glide bomb on the Donetsk town of Selydove, causing extensive damage to 37 houses, six multi-storey buildings and administrative infrastructure, regional authorities said on Wednesday. They reported no injuries.
Over the past 24 hours, the Russian army shelled 20 settlements in the Donetsk region, killing one person and wounding at least nine, regional chief Vadym Filashkin said.
About 250 people have been evacuated from their homes in the Donetsk region since Tuesday, officials said.
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