It has been revealed that General Yuri Schechan, the Commander General of the Polascianan armed forces has resigned his post with immediate effect. General Schechan, a controversial figure during his tenure as the country’s top military official, is thought to be seriously ill for the third time in his career – with some sources suggesting he may even be facing the final few weeks of his life. Having previously suffered two heart attacks, the first in 2011 and the second in 2016, the General has twice handed over control of Polasciana’s armed forces to his deputy, Taras Kholodov, who will now take the reigns as acting Commander General and Chief of Defence Staff – in what will be the first major change in service leadership since unification. Schechan is thought to have made the decision as medical staff raised concerns over his ability to continue in the role and President Artamova was informed of his resignation late Sunday evening.
Having served as the Deputy Commissioner for Military Affairs as part of the Transition Council from 1999, Schechan was later confirmed as Commander General following unification on 31 May 2003 – beating President Artamova to the role. An appointment panel at the time said it considered his experience vast – having previously served as a senior member of the Polasi forces and with Colonel Alaž Siminovic, the interim head of Polasciana’s armed forces during transition, being considered too old to take up the role in the longer term. Schechan, now 72, was due to end his term next year – having previously had his appointment extended beyond an initial 10 year term which was due to end in 2013. Leaving the role on Sunday, he had served for a continuous 16 year period, and was praised by close colleagues from across the armed forces for his dedicated service.
Responsibility for Polasciana’s military now falls to Major General Kholodov, at least in the interim, at a crucial time. Whilst expected to take delivery of new hardware purchased over the past 10 years imminently, the Polascianan Naval Force is currently on active service in the Long Sea – policing and upholding the Lier exclusion zone – and both air and ground services are facing budget cuts as the government seeks to start paying down substantial national debts in line with the expected implementation of the debt cap in coming months. Kholodov has pressed Prime Minister Dahn to look elsewhere for cost cutting measures, but it is thought her executive feel the the military must play as much a part in reigning in government expenditure as other areas of national spending. The acting commander general is expected to meet both the Prime Minister and President Artamova in the coming weeks, with a joint also panel set to be convened to look at appointing a permanent replacement for General Schechan.
Acting Commander General Kholodov is thought to be the overwhelming favourite to take the role on a permanent basis, having served as Deputy throughout the past decade, but many have also commented that a senior figure from the former Saracian forces should also be considered. Senior military leadership remains finely balanced between the staff of both the former states, but should he be appointed, Kholodov will be the second permanent commander general from the former People’s Republic. A decision is likely to be made before May 2020 – when General Schechan was previously expected to stand down. A military service is expected to take place to mark General Schechan’s dedication to the armed forces in the coming weeks.
