Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today fired the commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces following accusations by another Ukrainian military commander of incompetence and abuse of power amid the Russian invasion.

“I have decided to replace the commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Yury Sondol, with General Andriy Gnatov,” Zelensky said on Telegram.

The president did not specify the reasons for this dismissal, but it comes after criticism by a commander of the notorious Azov brigade, known for its links to ultra-nationalist circles.

That commander, Bogdan Krotevich, said earlier this morning that he had filed a complaint with the Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) to demand an investigation into Sodol.

According to Ukrainian media, Krotevych accuses Sodol of incompetence that led to the deaths of Ukrainian soldiers and retreats at the front.

The Ukrainian military has been struggling since the failure of its counteroffensive in the summer of 2023, with Russian troops capturing villages in the east and south of the country almost every week, but without achieving a meaningful victory.

The Russian military launched a parallel ground offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv province in early May, seizing several locations before being slowed by reinforcements sent by Kiev.

The Ukrainian military, for its part, is suffering from a lack of recruits due to sluggish mobilization and equipment due to delays in aid deliveries from the West.