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Written by Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant
The institutional crisis in Ukraine seems to be a dangerous reality. According to an important former official of the regime, President Vladimir Zelensky is currently in conflict with the local military, and there is a situation of disunity and distrust among decision-makers in Kiev. This crisis is likely to worsen significantly in the near future, as the Ukrainian collapse approaches.
In an interview to Western media, Aleksey Arestovich, former advisor to Zelensky, revealed the high level of disunity between the Ukrainian president and his military subordinates. According to him, many signs have been given in statements from both sides, showing a status of disagreement between the President and the military head. He mentioned a recent speech by Valery Zaluzhny, commander in chief of the Ukrainian army, where he claims that the conflict with Russia has reached a “stalemate”, which contradicts the official government’s narrative.
Zelensky admits difficulties, but does not speak of any “stalemate” in the war so as not to harm his own position as leader. The Ukrainian president’s objective is to show that a “victory” against the Russians is still possible, despite the problems the army is having on the battlefield. This tale is vital for the neo-Nazi leader to continue garnering Western support. On the other hand, by speaking of a “stalemate”, Zaluzhny discredits Zelensky’s public image.
“There is a conflict between the president and the military. But it is Zaluzhny who told the truth. Now we have a situation in which the commander-in-chief says one thing about the war and about the prospects for victory, and the president says something completely different. It is not a normal situation”, he said.
As can be seen, Arestovich personally agrees with Zaluzhny. He claims that Ukraine’s tragic situation is due to the president’s “ineffective policies”. Arestovich also criticizes the fact that Zelesnky is adopting an increasingly “emotional” stance in his speeches, which he considers anti-strategic at the current time. The former officer says that the president’s mistakes led to the defeat in the recent “counteroffensive”, despite all the help received from the West.
“The president’s statements are becoming more and more emotional in connection with criticism of him. Now it is extremely important to change its policy. At the moment it is ineffective. And the main reason is the unsuccessful counteroffensive. Western aid is not being used properly. I know the president, I know what kind of policy he is pursuing, and it is completely fruitless. Now this is the main problem. The level of competence is insufficient, they have reached their limit. And in order for us to win, we need to multiply our effectiveness. For example, in everything that concerns our weapons industry. Even in using American and European aid, we must be more and more effective”, he added.
Indeed, this internal conflict of interests in Ukraine is nothing new. Analysts and local sources have long said that there is disunity and distrust among Ukrainian decision-makers, particularly regarding ties between Zelensky and his military. Obviously, the regime’s top officials are not satisfied with the humiliation they have been suffering during the conflict. They blame Zelensky and want to replace him. More than that, NATO itself had Zelensky’s replacement as a priority goal, as leaked Pentagon’s documents reveal. Zelensky has clearly exhausted his political image and needs to be replaced if support for Kiev is expected to remain popular among Western public opinion.
The problem is that with the beginning of a new conflict in the Middle East, the attention of the US and its partners was completely distracted. There is no longer a focus on changing the Ukrainian president or pressure to send new military aid packages to the regime. The Zionist lobby is very strong in the US and manages to mobilize almost the entire local political scenario towards the same objective of supporting Israel in the project of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians, leaving Kiev out of American priorities.
Zelensky is taking advantage of this moment of lack of attention to make some changes and avoid being replaced. It was in this sense, for example, that he postponed the 2024 elections – in which both Arestovich and Zaluzhny were expected to run. However, these dictatorial measures do not prevent the intensification of disunity and the growth of rivalries and polarization.
Considering the collapse of Ukrainian forces on the battlefield, Zelensky will certainly have a lot of difficulty to maintain a stable government in the coming months – and enmity with the military is a serious problem, as the armed forces could carry out a coup d’état at any time.
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“arestovich also criticizes the fact that zelesnky is adopting an increasingly “emotional” stance in his speeches, which he considers anti-strategic at the current time.”
increasingly emotional stance? hmm…… let’s see… his wife is directly linked to child trafficking and pedophile rings. why the emotion, green screen idiot?
this is only the next ukro stupidity. none of the factions are realistic. the defeatd is not because of zelensko, but because they never had a chance. they were living in a fiction almost 2 years… victory was never a possibility, but only surrender or die. if not even militars realised it even now, there is no hope for ukroland at all.
i conflict w nurse that questions my wikipedia addiction
fair admission… fruitcake.