The vast majority of Ukrainians would not support the removal Valery Zaljuzhnei from the position of head of the armed forces, according to a survey conducted by the International Institute of Sociology in Kyiv.
Despite attempts to demonstrate unity during the war with Russia, signs of a rift between Zaluzhny and President Volodymyr Zelensky have been visible for weeks, prompting speculation in domestic media that the military chief could be removed.
The survey showed that only two percent of Ukrainians would actively support Zelensky replacing Zaluzhny, while as many as 72 percent would see that move as extremely "negative".
The survey, which was conducted on a sample of 1200 people, showed that Zalužnja is trusted by 92 percent of respondents, compared to 77 percent who trust Zelenski.
Zaluzhnyi was in charge of a major counter-offensive this year in which Ukraine failed to recapture large swaths of territory under Russian occupation, but he is very popular among Ukrainians after Russian forces were forced to withdraw from much of the territory last year.
This year saw a slight decline in Zelenskiy's popularity, which is mostly attributed to a drop in optimism that the war could end quickly.
When asked at a press conference on Tuesday if he wanted to replace Zalužnji, Zelenski denied that there was a dispute between them, but said that he wanted concrete results from the military leadership.
As Reuters reminds, he refused to directly criticize Zalužnji, with whom he said he had a working relationship, but also did not send explicit support to the general.
Tensions between the two came to light in November when Zalužnji said the war was at a standstill, which drew criticism from the president's office.
This Sunday, Zalužnji criticized Zelenski's decision to dismiss the heads of regional recruitment centers as part of the fight against corruption.
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