Zelensky sacks commander accused of ‘killing more Ukrainians than any Russian’

The leading commander in charge of Ukraine’s eastern and southern land forces, who are in the midst of a bloody fight with Russian forces, has been abruptly sacked.

Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky did not give a reason for suddenly replacing Lt Gen Yuriy Sodol with Brig Gen Andriy Hnatov. However, the sacking came just hours after a well-known Azov commander accused the general of “killing more Ukrainians than any Russian”.

On Monday, Bohdan Krotevych, a senior officer in the Azov National Guard Brigade, formally filed a request for the investigation of Mr Sodol. He later wrote a post condemning the general for leading to serious military setbacks. He did not name him in the post, but it was later confirmed that the man was Mr Sodol.

Mr Krotevych wrote on Telegram: “I called for an investigation into one military general, who, in my opinion, caused more Ukrainian casualties than any Russian general. I don’t care if they investigate me or put me in jail.”

The popular Azov commander continued: “It’s unacceptable that lower-ranking officers are judged for losing observation posts, but the general is not held accountable for losing entire regions and thousands of soldiers.”

He further criticised the current combat conditions on the frontline and said that heroic soldiers and lower-ranking officers were succeeding despite poor leadership.

Mr Krotevych accused the general of causing major losses in personnel, during the ongoing fight in Kharkiv, after Russia launched a surprise offensive in May. “What I do care about is that combat battalion and brigade commanders are put on trial for losing an observation post, but a general is not put on trial for losing regions, dozens of cities, and thousands of soldiers.

“All the military personnel now understand who I am talking about because 99 percent of the military hate him for what he does. The Rubicon has been crossed.”

Mr Sodol has been the commander of the Joint Forces Command of Ukraine’s military since February 2024.

His leadership has been the subject of public criticism in recent weeks. Activist Serhii Sternenko called his appointment a “personnel disaster” while People’s Deputy Mariana Bezuhla blamed him for failing to defend Kharkiv Oblast from Russia.

Illia Ponomarenko, the former defence reporter at the Kyiv Independent, described Mr Sodol as an “extremely unpopular high-ranking military commander with a notoriously gruesome service”.

The new commander, Mr Hnatov, previously led the defence of Mykolayiv and Bakhmut and has been the Deputy Commander of Operational Command South since 2022.

After the dismissal of Mr Sodol, Krotevych wrote: “Hnatov is a very good officer. I hope the news at the front will get better.”

This comes as Ukrainian troops are currently trying to hold their ground on the eastern front in Donetsk region, and fighting back against Russian forces in Kharkiv. They are hoping to turn the tide against Moscow later this year as the war drags on.

It was reported that the shortage in ammunition along the 1,000 km (600 mile) frontline was now over. Reuters reported that there were no further fears of running short of Western-supplied 155 mm shells thanks to new supplies arriving in the country.