"I can say, based on my own experience and my own conversations with sources on Bankova Street, that the question of removing Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief is indeed being considered," Sereda said. “As of yesterday, one source in the President's Office suggested this question could be resolved within the next week — that is, within the next seven days, possibly even a bit sooner.”
She added that President Volodymyr Zelensky has been meeting extensively with various top commanders in recent days.
"These are commanders with public profiles who certainly have their own opinions," Sereda said. “And it's clear he's not only looking at them as possible candidates to replace Oleksandr Syrskyi, but it's probably also important for the president to hear what they actually think about the military's needs and how the Defense Ministry should support that process.”
Since July 16, protests have taken place in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities demanding the return of Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister and the dismissal of Syrskyi as commander-in-chief.
Fedorov himself said during a July 16 briefing that Ukraine needs to replace Syrskyi in order to "defeat the enemy asymmetrically."
He also confirmed his conflict with the army commander, saying Syrskyi blocked all of his initiatives and was unwilling to discuss problems, instead "ready to scheme."
The Financial Times has reported that Zelenskyy is considering dismissing Syrskyi amid large-scale protests.
Zelenskyy said on July 18 that he held a lengthy conversation with Fedorov and spoke separately with Syrskyi.
The president also met with corps commanders and other senior military officials, including Mykhailo Drapatyi, between July 17 and 20.