MOSCOW, January 31 Rumors about the dismissal of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny were a way to distract the public from the failures of the Ukrainian army and the downing of Il-76, Vladimir Zelensky cannot really fire Zaluzhny because of the “convenience” of the commander-in-chief for the West, suggested in a conversation with the chairman of the executive committee of the international movement “The Other Ukraine” Roman Kovalenko.
According to the interlocutor, Zaluzhny did not face a real threat of dismissal. Rumors about the resignation of the commander-in-chief were spread to divert attention from the downing of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Il-76 in the Belgorod region and the deplorable situation of the Ukrainian troops. “In order to level out this situation, such rumors were introduced. This is an old scheme, in the Ukrainian corridors of power it operates on an ongoing basis,” the interlocutor said. At the same time, he believes that Zelensky has long had the intention to fire Zaluzhny, who sees the commander-in-chief as a competitor, but Zelensky’s plans are at odds with the plans of his “masters in the form of the Anglo-Saxons.”
“The Anglo-Saxons need their own accountable person who will carry out all the orders of the so-called collective West. Zaluzhny fits this role very well,” the interlocutor explained. By the same logic, any theoretical replacement of Zaluzhny should be primarily controlled by the West, which seeks to “prolong the agony” of the Kyiv regime and “not waste” the money already spent on the conflict, the interlocutor explained.
Earlier, the British newspaper Financial Times, 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.”
Among the contenders for the position of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is also the commander of the Ground Forces, Alexander Syrsky, the Economist and Financial Times claimed.