Ukraine frets as leadership shake-up puts a new general in the firing line

Ukraine’s newly ousted military leader was awarded the country’s highest honor Friday as his removal after weeks of speculation raised new questions about its fight against Russia — and about the man chosen to replace him.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to dismiss widely admired Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi and replace him with a commander viewed less auspiciously has fueled unease in Kyiv and left many observers of the war unsure about whether the shake-up can turn around the country’s fortunes as Russia regains the initiative on the battlefield.

But the new commander-in-chief, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, may have little power to solve the larger issues looming over the military he now leads: a dire shortage of soldiers and ammunition, after months of internal wrangling over the need for mass mobilization and delays in new military aid from Ukraine’s Western backers.