This was the sacking long rumoured and finally announcedpublished at 22:34 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February

22:34 GMT 8 February

Sarah Rainsford
BBC Eastern Europe Correspondent, in Kyiv

Zelensky’s declaration of a "reset", starting with replacing his commander in chief, comes at a precarious time for Ukraine. It’s struggling to get funding and weapons from abroad and there’s fierce fighting on a largely static frontline.

But there’s little clear picture yet of how that reset will look or what it can achieve. And some think removing General Zaluzhnyi will produce a set-back, not progress.

The word stalemate seems key to this decision, though.

That was Zaluzhnyi’s own description of the state of play, militarily, and it wasn’t popular with his political bosses.

It’s not the message they accept or want to send.

As I understand it, Ukraine is looking to new military leadership for a plan that’s not about holding the line in the trenches - moving to a defensive position and rearming.

The aim is a plan that delivers movement forward. That doesn’t sound defeatist.

The other word I’ve heard mentioned here is realistic.

Planning for what you have in terms of soldiers and supplies, not demanding more that may never be delivered – whether that’s conscript soldiers, or shells and bullets.

There’s always talk of drones and their transformative power on the battlefield. That’s especially important when Western military aid is shrinking. But it’s no quick fix, either.

There have been rumours of the president’s testy relations with Zaluzhnyi for a long time.

Everyone close to Zelensky will say this is not political. That it’s nothing personal. That his only aim is to win the war for his country. They are very careful not to criticise Zaluzhnyi in public.

Perhaps General Syrskyi will be an easier character for the president to work with.

But can he produce any different results for Ukraine? Zelensky hopes so.

Image source, Getty Images

We are now wrapping up our live coverage, which guided you through the current state of play in Ukraine's armed forces, as Valerii Zaluzhnyi was replaced by Oleksandr Syrskyi as the armed forces' new commander-in-chief.

You can head here for the full story, or find the thoughts of our defence correspondent on what it means for Ukraine's war with Russia here.

Today's page was brought to you by Nadia Ragozhina, Victoria Lindrea, Jake Lapham and Malu Cursino.

Our final post, coming next, is from the BBC's Eastern Europe correspondent in Kyiv, Sarah Rainsford, who reflects on the significance of today's announcement by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Reacting to the dismissal of Ukrainian army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Sviatoslav Yurash, a serving Ukrainian soldier and MP, tells the BBC that the Ukrainian military needed to change the way it operated.

Yurash, from President Zelensky's Servant of the People party, explains that as a soldier who has fought on the front line, it is "very clear" to him that "the way the war is done right now is not to the reality that we need in this day and age".

He says that leadership "decisions need to be made to transform the approach on the battlefield".

Yurash says it is natural that people will speculate on the reasons for the change of military leadership but stresses that it is important to focus on the things that bring the country together.

"Our country very much needs unity in the time that we are living through and that's why it's very important to stay together as our country is being challenged to this war," Yurash adds.

As we've been reporting, Russian troops have been fighting Ukrainian forces in the eastern town of Avdiivka, according to Ukraine's military.

The area has been under repeated Russian assault since mid-October, as Moscow continues to try and advance its troops into the town.

Avdiivka is a gateway to the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk. It has been effectively on the front line since 2014 when the conflict in eastern Ukraine started.

Image source, .

All attempts by Russian troops to advance there have failed. Until now.

On Thursday, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military confirmed that there were ongoing clashes in the north of the town and in the town itself. He explained that the situation in Avdiivka was "difficult but controllable".

Avdiivka Mayor Vitaliy Barabash said there were now 941 residents in the town, which used to be home to more than 30,000 people.

• You can read more about the shattered ghost town of Avdiivka here.

Image source, EPA

Let's also take a look at what's been happening on the battlefield in Ukraine:

• On Thursday Ukrainian military said Russian troops were engaged with Ukrainian forces inside the beleaguered town of Avdiivka, which had been under sustained Russian assault since mid-October
• Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities have continued, including an attack on Kyiv which killed five people on Wednesday
• Moscow accused Kyiv of being behind a strike on Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Lysychansk, which killed 28 people
• The Ukranian army said it destroyed a Russian missile boat from the Black Sea Fleet in an operation off occupied Crimea, the latest in a string of apparent sabotage attacks

Image source, Reuters

As we continue to monitor reaction to General Zaluzhnyi's dismissal, let's turn for a moment to an apparent prisoner swap between Kyiv and Moscow.

The Russian defence ministry says 100 Russian prisoners of war have been exchanged for 100 captured members of the Ukrainian military.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed the swap on Telegram, external, adding that the Ukrainians involved in the swap had fought in the siege of Mariupol.

The United Arab Emirates acted as a mediator in the deal, according to a post by the Russian defence ministry on Telegram, external.

There have been more than 50 prisoner swaps since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Zelensky calls for a 'realistic' plan for the year aheadpublished at 21:44 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February

21:44 GMT 8 February

Danny Aeberhard
Europe regional editor, BBC World Service

President Zelensky has recognised the need for a change of approach on mobilisation and recruitment - problems with which, his critics have laid partly at his door.

He is also insisting on an effective system of rotating soldiers - to counter exhaustion.

In his address, he said Ukraine's military had 'almost a million' people serving, but that most of them 'had not felt the frontline in the same way as the minority, who are actually at the forefront, actually fighting'.

He's calling on his new military leadership to draw up a 'realistic, detailed action plan' for the year ahead.

And he holds out hope for a new branch of the military in charge of 'unmanned systems'. This war has highlighted like never before the importance of drones - both aerial and maritime.

The president is taking a huge risk. He evidently feels he had little other choice.

Zelensky seeks to revitalise war effortpublished at 21:34 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February

21:34 GMT 8 February

Danny Aeberhard
Europe regional editor, BBC World Service

The tone of President Zelensky's address was sombre.

Dressed in a black sweatshirt, he tried to strike a balance between being realistic while remaining resolute. This, for him, was about redirection - to ensure Ukraine emerges victorious.

He did not shy away from the difficulties his country faced in places including Avdiivka in the east, the southern Zaporizhzhia region, and Kharkiv region in the northeast.

But he was keen to stress that, although Russia had 'won the winter', Ukraine had, in his view, 'won the Black Sea' and proved it could 'regain control over the Ukrainian sky'.

Conscious too that replacing such a popular commander could damage troop morale, he thanked and praised the army.

The president hopes an injection of dynamism will shift a downturn he perceives in the public mood.

Senate advances aid package for Ukrainepublished at 21:23 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February

21:23 GMT 8 February

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from New York

The US Senate has advanced an aid package for Ukraine and Israel - a day after Republican lawmakers blocked a larger bipartisan bill that included foreign aid as well as US border control measures.

Pushing through an initial hurdle, lawmakers voted 67-32 to consider the $95b (£75.2b) aid package.

Democrats are in favour of passing the aid, but Republicans remain divided.

The fate of this latest version remains unclear, and there is still much disagreement among Republican senators - which could cause the process to drag on for days.

If the Senate goes on to approve the aid, it must still be passed by the House of Representatives - a chamber with a Republican majority that has not been eager to approve similar funding.

This could be Congress's last shot at passing Ukraine aid for the foreseeable future, however, and Ukraine has warned that it may not be able to successfully defend itself against Russia without Washington's backing.

The US, which is the biggest provider of aid to Ukraine, has been unable to provide further aid since December because of the political gridlock in Congress.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

It's just gone 9pm in London and 11pm in Kyiv, where President Zelensky earlier dismissed Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's army chief, from his role.

Here are the main lines from Ukraine today:

• Valerii Zaluzhnyi's sacking follows speculation about a rift between the general and President Zelensky. Zaluzhnyi led Ukraine's war effort since the conflict began and was a popular general trusted by Ukrainian soldiers and the public

• The president, the defence minister and Kyiv's mayor all thanked the outgoing general for his services in leading Ukraine through the war. Zaluzhnyi "had one of the most difficult tasks", said minister Rustem Umerov
• The new commander-in-chief is General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who led the defence of the capital, Kyiv, at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion

• Some opposition politicians in Ukraine have been critical of the change in leadership, with Oleksii Honcharenko from the Ukrainian opposition party European Solidarity saying the move was "a huge mistake"
• Reacting to the news overseas, the White House said Zaluzhnyi's dismissal is a "sovereign decision" and they pledged to work with whoever is in charge of the country's military
• Meanwhile, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would continue to support Ukraine and he welcomed Ukraine foreign minister's comments that any changes wouldn't affect Ukraine's relationships with partners

Image source, EPA

Despite the major military shake-up, White House national security spokesman John Kirby has insisted the US is not worried about Ukraine's stability - despite Valerii Zaluzhnyi's evident popularity among Ukrainian people and the concerns voiced by opposition politicians over his dismissal.

"President Zelensky is the commander in chief of his armed forces," Kirby reiterated.

"He gets to decide who his leadership is going to be in the military. That's what civilian control is all about."

Image source, Reuters

General Zaluzhnyi was revered among Ukrainians - so much so that some polls indicated he was more popular than President Zelensky himself.

The Reuters news agency has been asking Ukrainians for their reaction to his dismissal by the president.

We're getting some more reaction to Valerii Zaluzhnyi's sacking now, this time from the head of Nato.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the dismissal is "a Ukrainian decision...[and] not for Nato to have any opinion about".

"I welcome the very clear statement from Foreign Minister Kuleba that any changes will not affect Ukraine's relationship with partners, and with Nato.

"So we will continue to support - that's what matters - and we will continue to do so."

The Nato alliance includes the US, the UK and France - countries whose military aid for Ukraine is seen as vital.

So, it's official. Here's the presidential decree from Volodymyr Zelensky, external confirming the change at the top of his country's military.

Decree No 59/2024, dismissing Valerii Zaluzhnyi as commander-in-chief, was followed by decree No 60/2024, on appointing Oleksandr Syrskyi to this crucial position.

Image source, Getty Images

Opposition parties in Ukraine have been more critical of the change in leadership.

Oleksii Honcharenko, from the Ukrainian opposition party European Solidarity, of the former president Petro Poroshenko, said the move was "a huge mistake" by President Zelensky.

He claimed it would carry risks for the country, adding: "We will all have to pay for this mistake."

Another opposition MP, Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, from the Batkivschina party, said military leadership during the war was "something that we must preserve, support - not criticise - but help in every possible way".

Removing military chiefs during war is not unusualpublished at 19:29 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February

19:29 GMT 8 February

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

Removing military commanders in a time of war is hardly unusual.

Winston Churchill did it during World War II; President Truman famously dismissed the highly popular General Douglas Macarthur at the height of the Korean war. President Truman later said “I didn’t fire him because he was a dumb son-of-a-bitch, although he was. I fired him because he wouldn’t respect the authority of the President”.

Zaluzhnyi's departure appears to be a lot more amicable than that. He will remain part of the military team, advising the president. He has forged close relationships with many Western military leaders. He clearly still has a vision to continue the fight, by building an arsenal of drones – which he set out in a recent article in the Economist.

Former British Army officer, Justin Crump, says the change might be good – “leading a nation and a military in a time of war can get pretty stressful”. But his replacement, General Syrsky, has also been doing the same, as the commander in the East for the last two years.

His new job won’t be any easier.

We're getting some reaction to Zaluzhnyi's dismissal now - starting with the White House.

A State Department spokesperson says the ex-army chief's dismissal is a "sovereign decision", and pledged to work with whoever is in charge of Ukraine's military.

It comes ahead of a meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden, with aid for Ukraine set to be one of the key topics of conversation.

Zaluzhnyi's tactics proved effective in the early days of the invasionpublished at 19:06 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February

19:06 GMT 8 February

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

Zaluzhnyi's strategy certainly proved effective in the early days of Russia’s full scale invasion – with Ukraine adopting quick hit and run tactics against long, unwieldy, columns of Russian troops and armour.

There was more to come. In the summer of 2022 Zaluzhnyi fooled Russia into thinking Ukraine’s next move would be a massive counter offensive in the south.

Instead, he took advantage of weakened Russian defences in the north-east of the country and launched a lightning counter-offensive which took back a huge swathe of territory around Kharkiv.

The expected southern offensive still took place and eventually forced Russia to retreat across the Dnipro - forcing them to quit their occupation of Kherson.

These early offensives would be the pinnacle of Zaluzhnyi’s battlefield successes. But they also fuelled unrealistic Western expectations of what might happen next.

The subsequent long anticipated Ukrainian offensive in summer of 2023 was supposed to be decisive.

It wasn’t. In fact, Zaluzhnyi ended up calling it “a stalemate”.

Even those who spoke in terms of great hope for the offensive, now concede it was highly likely to fail.

General Ben Hodges says the West would never have tried to do the same without air power. The heavily mined Russia defensive lines proved hard to break through.

General Hodges says various briefings from Western military sources haven’t helped either – with the suggestion that Zaluzhnyi had ignored some of their advice.

Kyiv's mayor Vitaliy Klitschko has publicly thanked ex-army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi for his leadership of Ukraine's armed forces.

"It is largely thanks to you that Ukrainians truly believed in our armed forces, which today enjoy the greatest trust of society," Klitschko said in a post on Telegram.

"I am grateful that you will overcome this test with dignity," he added, saying that he hoped authorities would justify the changes.

Russia will be encouraged by the changepublished at 18:47 Greenwich Mean Time 8 February

18:47 GMT 8 February

Danny Aeberhard
Europe regional editor, BBC World Service

Image source, EPA

This is perhaps the biggest decision President Zelensky has made since deciding to stay in Kyiv at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Nearly two years in, and with Ukraine facing multiple problems, he's decided it's time for a re-boot.

General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, a man idolised by many Ukrainians, is being replaced by the commander of ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Addressing Ukrainians, Zelensky thanked his former commander-in-chief. He acknowledged that Russia had, as he put it, 'won the winter' and that a feeling of stagnation on fronts in the south and east had affected the public mood.

Zelensky wants a new direction, stressing among other things the need for military leaders who've fought at the front, and an effective system of rotating soldiers. He's still optimistic of victory.

But Russia will no doubt be encouraged by the switch.