Has the very popular commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armies, Valeriy Zalouzhny, been at the head of kyiv’s general staff in recent hours? Since Monday evening, an avalanche of publications on social networks, then in Ukrainian media, report that President Volodymyr Zelensky has decided to dismiss the general, while tensions between the two men have continued for months.
Some claim that Valeri Zalouzhny, appointed to his post in 2021, a few months before the start of the Russian invasion of his country, will be replaced by the head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov or the commander of the ground troops Oleksandr Syrsky. After two hours of silence on Monday, the presidency ended up denying the dismissal of the senior officer, whose confidence rating reached 92% compared to 77% for Volodymyr Zelensky and whose dismissal would be perceived negatively by 72% of Ukrainians, according to polls. published in December. Several Ukrainian media then claimed that the head of state had met Valeri Zalouzhny on Monday, and announced his decision to dismiss him, offering him a position as ambassador or advisor, which the soldier declined.
The failure of the counter-offensive
According to several Anglo-Saxon newspapers, including the Washington Post And The Economist, Volodymyr Zelensky has decided to dismiss his warlord. “I think it’s true, we’re waiting for the presidential decree” in this sense, a highly placed military source confirms to AFP.
According to highly placed Ukrainian sources, Volodymyr Zelensky and his entourage have been criticizing Zaluzhny and his staff for months for the lack of progress on the front. Some media also claim that the presidency is jealous of the general’s popularity.
“Zaluzhny’s resignation is only a matter of time and circumstances,” Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko commented on Facebook. According to the BBC Ukrainian service, the Ukrainian president may postpone the dismissal of Valery Zaluzhny due to opposition from kyiv’s Western allies.
This climate of tension at the highest level of the state did not escape the Kremlin, which pointed out this Wednesday “growing contradictions” within the Ukrainian government. “One thing remains obvious: the Kiev regime has a lot of problems, things are not going well there,” Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “It is obvious that the failure of the (Ukrainian 2023) counter-offensive and problems on the front lead to growing contradictions between representatives of the Kiev regime, both military and civilian,” he added.