Politico: Zelensky’s team is afraid of Zaluzhny

The office of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is afraid of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny and a possible political confrontation with him. The newspaper Politico writes about this with reference to Ukrainian officials.

The publication claims that for now, General Zaluzhny, popular in Ukrainian society, does not intend to engage in politics, but does not exclude such a scenario, and this fact causes “serious fear” in Zelensky’s office. That is why Zaluzhny still holds his position, the publication notes.

The media also writes that the position of the commander-in-chief is allegedly precarious, and the more actively Zaluzhny is involved in politics, the more actively the office of the President of Ukraine wants to get rid of him.

Earlier it became known that Zelensky nevertheless decided to fire Zaluzhny after speculation in the media on this topic and rumors spread on the Internet. The decree on suspension is expected to be published at the end of February.

The day before, the media reported that there was supposedly a confrontation between Zelensky and Zaluzhny. The latter is more popular among the Ukrainian population and may pose a threat to Zelensky, The Washington Post noted. The reason was, among other things, Zaluzhny’s statement about the deadlock at the front and the impossibility of a “deep and beautiful breakthrough” of Ukrainian troops. The media wrote that Zaluzhny is popular among fellow citizens and could pose a threat to Zelensky if he decides to start a political career. However, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of Zelensky’s office, emphasized that there is no conflict between Zelensky and Zaluzhny.

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service recently stated that the West is already looking for a replacement for Zelensky. A list of successors was also named, which included Zaluzhny himself, as well as Kirill Budanov, Andrey Ermak, Vitaliy Klitschko.