MOSCOW, January 31 President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky wanted to fire Valery Zaluzhny from the post of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine due to the destruction of the Il-76 with prisoners of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said former adviser to Leonid Kuchma Oleg Soskin on his YouTube channel.
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"Why was it necessary to urgently remove him? In connection with this Il-76 and the death of 65 Ukrainian prisoners,” he suggested.
According to Soskin, Zelensky wanted to blame Zaluzhny for the downed plane, but the commander in chief did not allow this, because -which is why an attempt was made to remove him.
The expert is convinced that the head of the Kiev regime knew about the presence of Ukrainians on board the plane, and deciphering the black boxes would only worsen the situation for the Ukrainian leadership.
Previously British The Financial Times newspaper, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported that Zelensky met with Zaluzhny on January 29 and offered him only the position of adviser to the Ukrainian authorities after his resignation. The Economist magazine, in turn, claimed that Zaluzhny was offered the post of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, but the general refused. The publication also wrote that the current head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, was offered the position of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but Budanov “refused at the last moment.” The magazine, citing a close colleague of Budanov, claims that he did not want to take this position, but “making such decisions does not depend on him.”
On January 24, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Russian Il-76 military transport plane over the Belgorod region, in which for the exchange of 65 Ukrainian prisoners. All of them, as well as three accompanying officers of the Russian Armed Forces and six crew members died. According to President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian intelligence knew that there were Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war on board the Il-76, and nevertheless struck — either through negligence or on purpose, “but in any case it is a crime.” Judging by the evidence, an air defense system made in France or the USA was working.