“Zaluzhny and Shaptala were dismissed by the conclusion of the military medical board and they were declared unfit for military service and have been removed from the military register,” the press release stressed.

On February 9, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Shaptala from the post of chief of the General Staff and appointed Anatoly Barguilevich, who commanded the territorial defense forces.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has not yet officially confirmed this information.

Earlier, the Zerkalo Nedeli weekly reported that Zaluzhny underwent a medical examination in February and was declared unfit for military service. It also stated that Zaluzhny wrote a report on his discharge from military service in February.

The weekly explained that after the dismissal, the former commander was placed at the disposal of the defense minister.

However, the Ukrainian defense minister did not offer Zaluzhny a meaningful military post corresponding to his training and experience, nor did the president himself.

The newspaper affirmed that under those circumstances, Zaluzhny decided to leave military service.

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