Ukraine’s ex-army chief Zaluzhnyi speaks on rift with Zelenskyy

London. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s armed forces and now ambassador to the United Kingdom, has spoken publicly for the first time about tensions with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In an interview with the AP, he said the disagreements emerged shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 and centred on the country’s defence strategy.

He alleges that the dispute culminated in what he described as a raid on his office, reportedly carried out later that year by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The SBU denied that it had conducted a search of his premises, stating that the operation was linked to a separate investigation.

According to the former commander, he immediately telephoned Andriy Yermak, then head of Zelenskyy’s office, and warned him: “I told Yermak that I would repel this attack because I know how to fight.”

He also contacted the head of the security service, Vasyl Malyuk, to seek clarification. According to Zaluzhnyi, Malyuk said he was unaware of any such operation. However, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom later learned that two days before the alleged raid, the SBU had applied for a court warrant to search premises at the address where his office was based.

The disputes continued

Zaluzhnyi also criticised the course of the 2023 counter-offensive. He said the plan he had developed with NATO partners failed because President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials were unwilling to commit the necessary resources. Some military experts described the proposal as overly ambitious, adding that it was launched too late.

The original concept envisaged concentrating sufficient forces into a “single fist” to retake the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, before advancing south towards the Sea of Azov. The aim was to sever the land corridor used by Russian forces to resupply Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

According to the AP, Zaluzhnyi said success would have required a large, concentrated build-up of troops on a shorter front line, combined with tactical surprise.

Instead, he argued, Ukrainian forces were dispersed across a broad stretch of territory, diluting their striking power after Zelenskyy ordered attempts to break through along much of the front.

The president ultimately sided with Zaluzhnyi’s then subordinate — and later his successor — Oleksandr Syrsky, who sought, among other objectives, to drive Russian troops out of the occupied eastern city of Bakhmut.

Two Western defence officials confirmed his account.

Zelenskyy's rival

Since his dismissal two years ago, Zaluzhnyi says he has played no role in military decision-making. Nevertheless, he continues to monitor Ukraine’s strategy closely and argues that current planning is based on unrealistic troop numbers. He also criticised the way new technologies are being deployed on the battlefield.

Since taking up his post in the United Kingdom, he says he has had only two “absolutely friendly” meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Several opinion polls, along with military analysts, describe Zaluzhnyi as a potential rival to the incumbent president. An Ipsos survey suggested that in a hypothetical election he would receive 23 per cent support, compared with 20 per cent for Zelenskyy.

However, Zaluzhnyi rejects any political ambitions while the war continues: “Until the war is over or martial law is lifted, I will not talk about it and I have not done anything in this regard.” He added that he had also declined an approach from an American consultant.

According to AP sources, the offer came from Paul Manafort, who led Donald Trump’s presidential campaign a decade ago and was later convicted of secretly lobbying for the former pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.

“I thanked him for his attention, but I told him that I did not need his services,” said Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.

(max, ap)