Deep Rift in Kyiv: Valeriy Zaluzhny Criticizes Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Decisions

The former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valeriy Zaluzhny, presented a new, dramatic version of events concerning his relationship with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In an interview with the Associated Press, the military commander revealed that tensions between him and the presidential office began almost immediately after the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Zaluzhny claims the differences concerned fundamental strategic issues, including the methods of conducting defense and subsequent offensive operations. The general pointed to September 2022 as the moment when a permanent deterioration in mutual relations occurred, ultimately leading to his dismissal in February 2024. Relations between military command and civilian state leadership during wartime are historically one of the most difficult aspects of crisis management, as illustrated, for example, by President Truman's conflict with General MacArthur during the Korean War.A particularly moving aspect of Zaluzhny's account is the description of an incident in 2023, when a search was conducted in his command office. The official pretext for the security services' action was allegedly searching for connections to an illegal nightclub, which the general interprets directly as an attempt at intimidation and discrediting him. Furthermore, Zaluzhny openly criticized political interference in planning the 2023 counteroffensive. In his opinion, decisions made in Kyiv by officials lacking military knowledge led to losses and a lack of expected successes on the front. Zaluzhny's current role as ambassador in London is seen by many observers as a form of political exile, aimed at limiting his exceptionally high popularity in society. „Tensions arose soon after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and concerned the methods of conducting defensive operations.” — Valeriy Zaluzhny2 years — a growing conflict persisted on the president-general lineSignificantly, despite the diplomatic distance, Zaluzhny does not rule out his involvement in future presidential elections, though he currently emphasizes the need to maintain national unity in the face of ongoing aggression. Analysts note that such an open statement against Volodymyr Zelenskyy may herald the beginning of a brutal power struggle in post-war, or even still wartime, Ukraine. This conflict also reveals cracks within the Ukrainian security apparatus, where individual services may have been used to counterbalance military and political influences. Since gaining independence in 1991, Ukraine has struggled with intense rivalry between various centers of power, which has repeatedly led to political crises before and after the Orange Revolution in 2004.