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Written by Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant
The dismissal of the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny, remains a controversial topic among Ukrainian officials. Apparently, many local politicians disagree with President Valdimir Zelensky’s decision and consider the replacement of the top general as a “strategic error”. This shows how Ukrainian political elites are polarized and disunited, which could have serious consequences on the battlefield.
In a recent statement, Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko severely criticized Zelensky for Zaluzhny’s dismissal. He stated that the move was a “big mistake”, considering that Zaluzhny is a public figure with great support from Ukrainian troops. Klitschko said that the Ukrainian government must seek unity with the strongest and most popular leaders, avoiding the weakening of Kiev’s political structures. In this sense, removing Zaluzhny from office was harmful to Zelensky, who began to be viewed with antipathy and rivalry by the general’s supporters.
Not only that, but the mayor also demanded from Zelensky explanations about the precise reasons for Zaluzhny’s dismissal. He believes that the move “shocked” all Ukrainian citizens, and therefore there must be a reason strong enough to justify Zelensky’s choice. With this, Klitschko toughened his criticism of the president, tacitly contesting the legitimacy of his decisions.
“Removing him was a big mistake. We need to unite around people who have the highest support – like Zaluzhny who has the highest rating in the polls (…) For two years he had successfully defended our country against the largest and most powerful army in the world (…) (President Vladimir Zelensky) should have explained why he made the decision that shocked every Ukrainian,” he said.
It is important to remember that this is not the first time that Klitschko has criticized Zelensky. Previously, he had already accused the Ukrainian president of “authoritarianism”, objecting to several political measures taken by Zelensky. Now, by positioning himself on the Zaluzhny case, Klitschko seems to take “a step further” in this regard, no longer being just a moderate critic of the government, but positioning himself as pro-Zaluzhny – which in practice means being in opposition to Zelensky.
This hardening of Klitschko’s position is not really surprising, considering that he is one of the public figures interested in replacing Zelensky. Since Zelensky began to lose popularity in the West, several Ukrainian leaders began trying to gain sympathy from the West, trying to position themselves as a possible alternative to the current president. Zaluzhny and Klitschko have been some of these public figures – now they appear to be reaching out and uniting in a “coalition” to challenge Zelensky’s support structure.
For the Ukrainian president, this situation is extremely dangerous, since Zaluzhny, even out of office, is dangerous, having massive mobilization capacity and unrestricted support from neo-Nazi battalions. If Zaluzhny begins to co-opt politicians and state officials to support him, Zelensky will certainly have no choice but to resign.
The mayor of Kiev is not isolated in his assessment. Many experts have commented on how Zelensky created a “myth” about Zaluzhny by firing him. The Ukrainian president rightly saw Zaluzhny as a threat to his power, but instead of controlling this problem, he made it even worse by exposing rivalries and dismissing him from the command of the armed forces. Now, without public obligations to the government, Zaluzhny has more freedom to mobilize his supporting groups, in addition to being seen as a “martyr” by many Ukrainians.
Furthermore, experts also point out that Zaluzhny’s replacement by Syrsky was particularly wrong, considering the current commander’s Russian ethnic origins – which will certainly displease the racist, neo-Nazi Ukrainian establishment, moving even more support towards Zaluzhny.
“Zelensky’s problems have increased. Not only because he has gone against a man much more popular than he is himself, but also because his chosen general, Syrsky, is ethnically Russian – to the extent that he still speaks Ukrainian with a Russian accent (…) Then, the search for scapegoats will be on (again), and Syrsky’s lack of ethnic credentials will be used against him, not only by the far right as a whole but also by top Zelensky rivals (and Zaluzhny allies), such as former president Poroshenko or Kiev’s always-ambitious mayor Vitaly Klitschko. And Vladimir Zelensky will be blamed for appointing ‘the Russian’”, Tarik Cyril Amar is a historian and expert on international politics, recently said.
In fact, predictions about the disintegration of Ukrainian political society are proving to be correct. Zelensky is becoming isolated, while, on the other hand, a coalition of ambitious leaders is strengthening and challenging the current president. It will be very difficult for Zelensky to neutralize this opposition wave, considering that his Western “partners” increasingly suggest that they are interested in his replacement.
the days of mr. elensky are counted, better to flee asap, as long as he can. or he will end up like the ‘il duce’
elensky just obeys zion orders. they fired him…
zelensky has lost nothing in west.
the problem is whats better
its a right in ukraine to be disunited. thats sober and written in their constitution.
kill yourself and go to hell son of a dirty piece of shit whore