General Staff denies split in Ukraine's military and political leadership

The General Staff said this in a statement posted to Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

It said the Ukrainian Defense Forces, under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, are doing everything possible to liberate Ukrainian land from Russian occupation and deter the aggressor.

"We are guided by the principle of unity of command and do not allow divisions within the military team. Any political speculations surrounding specific actions in one direction or another and a frankly provocative attempt to involve the higher military and political leadership of the state are unacceptable," the statement said.

At the same time, the General Staff asked bloggers not to spread false information. "We absolutely should not talk about non-existent conflicts today, which affect our capabilities and consolidation. Once again: there's no need to talk about things that don't exist and that lead to public misunderstanding," the statement said.

The General Staff also added that a lot has already been done to protect the country, but there is still more work ahead, which requires mutual understanding, trust and respect. "From a soldier who at this moment is liberating another Ukrainian settlement or holding his section of the front, the command staff working on the development of specific plans, to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, we are united by a common goal of defeating the sworn enemy," the General Staff said.

Zelensky earlier denied a conflict between the Office of the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi, stating that everyone is currently working in the same team.