The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has denied reports that Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi is resigning. It said the information was false and that Syrskyi remained in his post.
Journalist Vitalii Hlahola had earlier reported, citing sources in the Ukrainian President’s Office and the Defense Ministry, that Syrskyi’s dismissal could be formally announced as early as July 20. The commander-in-chief is currently at the command post of the 19th Army Corps, which is involved in the defense of Kostiantynivka.
Protesters demonstrating in Ukrainian cities are demanding Syrskyi’s resignation. Veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi said that unless the commander-in-chief is dismissed and Mykhailo Fedorov is nominated for defense minister by Friday, July 24, a nationwide open-ended protest will begin. Demonstrations will continue at 8:00 p.m. on July 20—the former serviceman said they were intended to remind the authorities of the participants’ demands and the deadline they had set.
“We want to gather in the squares and make our position clear to the president: if Syrskyi is not dismissed and Fedorov is not nominated for defense minister by Friday, July 24, we will begin a nationwide open-ended protest. I have submitted notice of the demonstration to the Kyiv City State Administration. Come out today and prepare for Friday,” Koziatynskyi wrote on X.