Ukraine war: inside the longstanding conflict between politicians and military commanders

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has dismissed the country’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi after a turbulent week in which he also removed his defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov. The dismissal of the popular defence minister, who is credited by many as the brains behind Ukraine’s successful drone strategy, brought thousands on to the streets in protest. Despite the clear public pressure to fire Syrskyi, Zelensky has presented his removal as part of an overall restructuring…