Kyiv Suddenly Dismisses 'Hero of Ukraine' Major General Ahead of Ceasefire Talks With Russia

A top Ukrainian commander officially hailed as a "Hero" was dismissed from his post and placed in a reserve battalion, local press reported.

Major General Dmytro Krasylnykov, commander of Ukraine's Northern Operational Command, said he was not given an official reason for the decisoin. He said he could "guess" it but didn't want to "talk about it yet." Krasylnykov will be replaced by Brigadier General Oleksii Shandar, previously the deputy commander of the Airborne Assault Forces.

The Kyiv Independent noted that the dismissal follows more Russian advances in Kursk, where Ukraine launched a cross-border invasion in August of last year. However, Krasylnykov said he left the region in November, so the development shouldn't be connected to the decision.

Krasylnykov was appointed to the post in March 2023 and was already a senior official in February 2022, when the Russian invasion began. He was given the title of Hero of Ukraine and the Order of the Golden Star for his role in the country's defense.

The reshuffling comes as Ukraine is set to engage in ceasefire negotiations next week. Andiy Yermak, head of the president's office, said the country's teams "will begin discussing all the technical details at the expert level."

Talks follow Ukraine's agreement to a ceasefire proposal presented by the United States in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The U.S. is expected to take the ceasefire proposal to Moscow following Kyiv's acceptance. Speaking to press in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope Russia will "say yes to peace."

"The ball is now in their court. The president's number one goal is for the war to end. I think today Ukraine has taken a concrete step in that regard, we hope the Russians will reciprocate," Rubio added.

President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Moscow later this week. He could meet President Vladimir Putin and get the country's response.

However, senior Russians are reportedly skeptical about the possibility that President Vladimir Putin will accept considering Moscow is currently in a strong position in the battlefield.

Citing senior sources, Reuters reported that Putin would need guarantees in order to move forward given the country's current upper hand in the war. Without them, the scenario could quickly change and Moscow then be blamed on the world scene for being reluctant to end the war.

One source said the proposal could be seen as a "trap" from Russia's perspective given the need for guarantees or pledges for any order to halt the fighting. Another one claimed that the proposal was a mere disguise of the real development, which was the resumption of military aid and intelligence sharing from the U.S. toward Ukraine.