Russia says reshuffle in Ukraine's military leadership will not affect course of 'special military operation'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The reshuffle in Ukraine's military leadership will not affect the course of the Russian "special military operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Addressing the removal of Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluznhyi at a news conference in Moscow, Peskov said: "We don't believe these changes will alter the trajectory of the ongoing special operation."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday relieved Valeriy Zaluzhnyi of his duties as commander-in-chief, in a move that had been widely expected.

Russia started its "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022, and as it approaches its third year, prospects for its conclusion remain unclear.

Turning to the recent US journalist Tucker Carlson’s interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said there is a “high interest” in the interview.

Asked if interview questions were shared with Putin in advance, Peskov said the press service never demands from journalists to present their planned questions.

Commenting on criticism from some Western journalists on the interview, Peskov said it was due to differences in political views among journalists.

"They (US media) are divided very rigidly according to the criteria of support for one or another party, one of the two (Democratic or Republican). Therefore, of course, a certain professional jealousy is present. But over time, of course, a very in-depth analysis of this interview will follow, we have no doubt about it.

"One way or another, there is a high interest in the interview, no one can argue about this," he said.

The spokesman said that over the past three or four days, the Kremlin received several dozen requests for interviews with Putin from the US, France, Italy, Austria, Australia, and "many countries of the world and from the largest media" organizations.

Peskov thanked all of them for taking interest and said that responding positively at this moment is not feasible and that the press service will duly consider these applications in the future.