Kremlin officials say new top Ukrainian commander will not change conflict, call him a traitor

 Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev calls new commander a 'Bandera traitor' who 'serves the Nazis'

Russian leaders say recent changes at the highest levels of the Ukrainian military will make no difference to the ongoing offensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday appointed Col. In a national military reshuffle, General Alexander Syrsky was appointed the country's highest-ranking army general.

"We do not think this is a factor that will change the course of the 'special military operation,'" Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

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After almost two years of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Syrsky replaced General Valery Zaluzhny as Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also reacted to the appointment in a scathing essay posted on his Telegram account.

According to Reuters, Medvedev wrote on social media platforms, "Looking at the biography of Sirsky, the new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, one feels a feeling of disgust, contempt and disgust."

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"Hatred for a man who was a Soviet Russian officer, but Bandera became a traitor, who broke his oath and served the Nazis, destroying his loved ones. May the earth burn under his feet!" The former president added.

Stepan Bandera was a far-right Ukrainian nationalist leader of the World War II era who is often cited by the Kremlin to justify the invasion.

He is sometimes cited by Putin and the ruling Russian regime as the architect of "Nazification" in Ukraine.

Medvedev currently serves as Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council.

Zelensky said his decision to hand over the post to a new commander was not a reflection of Zaluzny's performance, but part of a broader change in the country's war leadership.

“Now is the time for such a renewal,” Zelensky said.

“A reset, a fresh start is necessary,” Zelensky said. The Ukrainian president claimed that the review was "not about any one person but about the direction of the country's leadership."