MOSCOW, February 16 Vladimir Zelensky, dismissing Valery Zaluzhny from the post of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, made him a politician and dug a hole for himself, says the former leader of the party “Opposition Platform — For Life”, banned in Ukraine, and chairman of the council of the “Other Ukraine” movement, Viktor Medvedchuk.
Zelensky on February 8 dismissed Zaluzhny from the post of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, appointing instead the ex-commander of the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky. 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 could pose a threat to Zelensky if he decides to start a political career.
“By dismissing Zaluzhny, Zelensky is making a politician out of him and is digging a hole for himself. Moreover, any deterioration at the front is digging a hole for Zelensky, and it is already happening,” Medvedchuk wrote in an article published on the movement’s portal.
According to him, Zaluzhny did not achieve any special military successes — moreover, he really got involved in politics, which was completely impossible to hide. “The political game against Zelensky really took place, since Zaluzhny appeared in the ratings as a possible president; moreover, even his party, which does not exist, appeared. This means that such a party was being prepared and funds were invested in it,” the Ukrainian oppositionist noted.
He also believes that “Zaluzhny covered up the incompetence of American and British advisers.” “Someone had to be responsible for the failure of the “counter-offensive”: both the Americans and the British, who designed it, would not want to bear responsibility for this. It’s easier to explain why NATO’s advertised weapons did not bring victory because they were in the hands of incompetent Ukrainians military,» Medvedchuk wrote.
In his opinion, “the Ukrainian conflict is a gigantic waste of funds for the Western elite.” “After all, the Republicans, by blocking decisions on Ukraine, are simply covering a rich trough for the Democrats, who really need money for the elections. Few people will vote for Biden without money, and the Democrats really want not to let go of power,” the Ukrainian politician noted.
He believes that since the rules of financing began to change, there was less money, there were more people wanting to get to it, and Zaluzhny’s team was simply “unfastened” from the trough. “What speaks in favor of the corruption version is that it was not just Zaluzhny who was fired, but all his people, which from a military point of view makes little sense. But, from the point of view of the corruption scheme, it is impossible to leave strangers in “tasty” positions. It is important to remember that the Ukrainian The pro-government elite makes money from the war, from the blood of their fellow citizens. And they constantly fight for this business as long as they have the strength. After all, their goal is war to the last Ukrainian,» Medvedchuk noted.