Kyiv, 8 February 2024 (dpa/MIA) — The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has been relieved of his post, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in his evening video address on Thursday.

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the current commander of the Ukrainian land forces, was appointed as his successor.

Zelensky said he had previously met with his top military officer.

"I thanked him for two years of defence," Zelensky wrote on his social media blogs. "We talked about what kind of renewal the Ukrainian armed forces need." They also discussed how the leadership of the army could be modernized, he said.

"The time for renewal is now." Zelensky said that he had offered Zaluzhnyi "to remain part of the team."

Since late last year, there have been increasing reports of a power struggle between Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky. According to various media outlets, the Ukrainian head of state had already planned to replace the general last week, but was initially unable to push this through.

The 50-year-old Zaluzhnyi became commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army a few months before the Russian invasion in February 2022. Under his command, Ukrainian troops prevented a full invasion and later recaptured some occupied territories.