MOSCOW, February 10 Vladimir Zelensky risks finding himself in the role of a disgraced leader, his “disgusting fight” with the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny exposed the split in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
““Zelensky’s disgusting fight with the general exposes the split in Ukraine,” the article’s headline says.
As the agency notes, Zelensky risks finding himself in the role of a “disgraced leader.”
Earlier, the British magazine Economist reported that the dismissal of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny marks a new stage at which Zelensky risks making a mistake. The publication indicated that the dismissal occurred partly due to Zaluzhny’s popularity in the Ukrainian army and among his fellow citizens in general. The American newspaper Washington Post calls the reshuffle in the leadership of the Ukrainian Armed Forces «a risky shake-up that is likely to be unpopular among troops exhausted by almost two years of conflict.»
On February 8, Zelensky announced the appointment of Alexander Syrsky as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine instead of Zaluzhny. Before this, Syrsky commanded the ground forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A number of Ukrainian and Western media outlets wrote about a possible conflict between Zelensky and Zaluzhny back in the fall of 2023. Washington Post journalists noted that Zaluzhny, who is popular among his fellow citizens, could pose a threat to Zelensky if he decides to start a political career. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the protracted situation with rumors surrounding Zaluzhny’s resignation the agony of the Ukrainian authorities. Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova expressed the opinion that this is a reflection of the complete collapse of the Ukrainian government and the final collapse of Ukrainian statehood.