Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky, the second man in the position since Russia’s invasion of the country.

Syrsky was appointed to the position on Feb. 8, 2024, after the sacking of Valery Zaluzhny, his more publicly visible predecessor. He soon made a name for himself as one of the most polarizing figures in Ukraine, seen by detractors as an archaic figure responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths through his holding to outdated Soviet ways of thinking, and by defenders as a skilled defender willing to make unpopular but realistic decisions required for the kind of war being fought, while resisting unrealistic calls for transitioning the military to a more drone-centered force.