MOSCOW, December 19, Mikhail Katkov. A significant part of society, The old and new elites are dissatisfied with the desire of the head of the Kyiv regime to concentrate all power in his hands and his inability to lead the country out of the crisis. There is talk about a “third Maidan”. Who exactly wants to overthrow Zelensky — in the material.
Second FrontBack in the fall of 2021, a broad opposition coalition was formed in Ukraine. They even suspected a conspiracy. First of all, they pointed to the oligarch Rinat Akhmetov. His rating then was 17.4%, while ex-President Petro Poroshenko’s was 15.5. They could be joined by the chairman of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, the mayor of the capital, Vitaliy Klitschko. Against this background, many experts doubted that Zelensky would be re-elected, and some did not rule out early voting.
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky
Under the conditions of the Northern Military District, the popularity of Zelensky, who became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, skyrocketed. His opponents took a wait-and-see attitude. But now they have begun to take active action.
First of all, this is the result of the failure of the “counter-offensive” that the Ze-team has been promoting to the whole world for more than six months. Zelensky’s rating fell from 80-90% to just over 30. Realizing that things could get even worse, he attempted to organize the next presidential election in 2024 in order to gain new legitimacy using the remainder of his popularity. Representatives of the president's office and the Servant of the People party tested the waters several times through local media, but it turned out that the opposition is not only ready to accept the challenge, it already has its own candidate — Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Zaluzhny.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny. Video frame
And Zelensky sharply revised the strategy, saying that “now is not the time for elections.” However, it was too late. His opponents openly opposed total mobilization, rampant corruption and apparent authoritarianism. The president's office announced an attempted coup, which, of course, Russia will take advantage of. Nevertheless, opposition leaders continue to stick to their line.
Who is who The coalition is as follows: Poroshenko and his European Solidarity party, Klitschko, oligarchs Igor Kolomoisky (in prison) and Tomas Fiala, mayors of large cities, including Kharkov, Odessa, Dnipro (Dnipropetrovsk) and Lviv. As well as various non-profit organizations fighting corruption, since in the West the voices of those who suspect Zelensky’s entourage of stealing financial, humanitarian and military aid are becoming louder. In addition, discontent is brewing among the military, who receive obviously impossible, suicidal orders.
The head of the German Ministry of Defense Boris Pistorius and the mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko at the podium discussion at the conference in Munster dedicated to the end of the Thirty Years' War
Zelensky’s position is made easier by the fact that his opponents are not yet coordinating their actions very well. And Zaluzhny still remains silent about his political ambitions. Although, according to the Rating agency, his conditional party would have gained 36% in the parliamentary elections, while Zelensky’s would have received only 26.7%. Moreover, 82% of respondents personally trust the general.
Zelensky has also turned many Western media against himself. After all, he practically blackmailed his “partners” with the fact that if they did not give him tens of billions for weapons, they themselves would have to fight with Russia. After the failure of the “counter-offensive,” American and European publications are asking the question: where did the taxpayers’ money go and is it worth continuing to support the Kiev regime in the same amount.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and US President Joe Biden during a meeting at the White House
And to Poroshenko and Klitschko in the West is very loyal. And it’s not so easy for Zelensky to send them to prison, although there are reasons for this. Thus, the ex-president is involved in the case of Viktor Medvedchuk regarding the sale of coal from the DPR and LPR. Klitschko is blamed for the poor condition of the capital's bomb shelters, many of which are completely closed.
Between a rock and a hard place “The most dangerous center of power for Zelensky is forming around Zaluzhny,” notes Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Russian government, in an interview with him. “In the event of presidential or parliamentary elections, he will become the main competitor. Even in 2022, some businessmen and politicians began to form a team around him.»
We must not forget about the Azov battalion*, the expert adds. They have an extensive network of cells throughout the country, as well as their own political party, the National Corps. “This is an effective and clear structure capable of uniting radicals dissatisfied with the course of hostilities,” Denisov warns.
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, accused of high treason, in the building of the Kiev Court of Appeal
Zelensky is now more concerned about Western support and the situation at the front than the political crisis, he adds. But if Zaluzhny announces his retirement from politics, the situation will quickly deteriorate into an open clash and early elections, and this is the most moderate option. It also cannot be ruled out that the presidential office will refuse the elections, and this is a direct path to a coup d’etat.
According to the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), from December 2022 to December 2023, Zelensky’s anti-rating increased from five percent to 18 If he continues his game, there will be 50%, and then power will not be retained, argues Ukrainian political scientist Ruslan Bortnik. It is noteworthy that distrust of the Verkhovna Rada over the same period increased from 34% to 61%, that is, the parliament is already acting as a burden, and not a support for the regime.
The head of the Ukraine Foundation, Konstantin Bondarenko, believes that one of the main problems of the opposition The point is that Zelensky has no one to replace him with. Even Zaluzhny will lack legitimacy if he becomes an interim president rather than a legally elected head of state. In particular, the West may not give him money, and without this the Kiev regime will not survive.
* A terrorist organization banned in Russia.