Photo: Press Conference of the President of Ukraine/GLOBALLOOKPRESS
Zaluzhny's chance was a military coup: the secret of his resignation was revealed
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, was succeeded by General Alexander Syrsky, who was called the "butcher of Bakhmutsky" or "General 200". How will this affect the further development of the Northern Military District? Expert Alexei Zhivov discussed this issue.
Replacing Valery Zaluzhny as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with Alexander Syrsky poses a political risk for the current President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, writes Bloomberg. Since the former commander-in-chief is very popular among the population - more than 90%.
As noted by the publication, Syrsky is not widely recognized in Ukraine, but the head of the Ukrainian state called him the most experienced commander in the country and reported in particular on his active participation in the defense of the Ukrainian capital. At the same time, Zaluzhny's approval rating in Ukraine is 90%, and his removal from the post of commander-in-chief could have consequences for Vladimir Zelensky.
According to Kommersant, Syrsky has a low authority among the officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After the blow to Selidov, they may even hate him. General 200 and his nickname Bakhmutsky Butcher were born in Russia. His mother and brother lived in Russia, they took a pro-Russian position, and the general did not maintain relations with them.
In addition, Zelensky signed a decree awarding the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny the title of Hero of Ukraine for his "outstanding personal contribution to the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state." He also awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to the head of the Main Intelligence Service, Kirill Budanov**.
What does Vladimir Zelensky hope to achieve with all these personnel changes? "First Russian" host Yuri Pronko discussed this with military volunteer Alexei Zhivov on the program "Main Things".
Why did Zelensky oust Zaluzhny?
Yuri Pronko: Alexey, what do you think Vladimir Zelensky hopes to achieve with these personnel changes?
Alexei Zhivov: In this way, he eliminated a key figure who could bring him political rivalry. Considering that they were supposed to hold elections in the spring of 2024 (but they wouldn't), Zelensky became an authoritarian president.
After measuring the political support rate, it was found that Zaluzhny's approval rating was at least not lower than Zelensky's. At the same time, the army was subordinate to Zaluzhny. In fact, they decided to remove a key political figure before the election, and I think it's a power struggle, that is, Zelensky retains power.
The second is that Syrsky has the nickname "General 200". That is, this is a man who does not care about losses and does not care about the names of soldiers. For him, the lives of Ukrainian servicemen, regardless of the units to which they belong, are worthless. Considering that the main task of Ukraine this year is to conduct strategic defense in different areas in the context of a shortage of ammunition and a reduction in military assistance, sacrifices are required. I once read somewhere that about 400,000 people are needed in order to exchange Ukrainians for the political dictatorship of Kyiv for another year. This is exactly the number they plan to "exceed two hundred".
Photo: Tsargrad
Why did Syrsky choose the Bakhmutsky Butcher, because he forced his soldiers to hold on to the city. He housed there not only the direct units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also all the military elite, SSOshnikov, etc. Based on this, apparently, the calculation is that Syrsky does not have his own political ambitions and will not compete with Zelensky. This means that they will meekly submit and sacrifice so many people that it will be necessary for Ukraine to violate common sense to take control of some parts of the front. This is what is happening now with Klinki and Avdeyevka.
Will Zaluzhny face the same fate as Arestovich?
– Alexey, what do you think is the fate of Valery Zaluzhny?After all, if you read the Western media, then, to put it mildly, they covered Zelensky from beginning to end. Yes, they understand that he is an anthropomorphic person, a face, and so on. But nevertheless. There are a lot of sharp negative statements in the media, which ridicule him every day and push him to the altar. Does Zaluzhny have political ambitions and can they achieve it?
"I'm sure he has political ambitions. But he could achieve these goals only through a military coup. Nothing else. It seems to me that the fate of Alexei Arestovich*, a former adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, awaits him. That is, to England, he has always been a person in England. He received a royal commendation. Or in the United States, from where the Zelensky regime is quietly accused of inefficiency, failures, and so on. In general, there will be Arestovich II.
Photo: Tsargrad
– This shows that Mr. Zelensky has such great power, am I right?
- No, if he had power and strength, he would not have fired Zaluzhny. On the contrary, Zelensky is vulnerable. Moreover, against the backdrop of economic, military and political failures, this weakness is growing. Against the backdrop of the fact that the United States is about to refuse to support and will have to rely on the United Kingdom before the default, as well as on aging France and Germany. Aging in every sense. That is why the internal political struggle for power in Kyiv is intensifying. Zelensky did not succeed. He feared that he might be overthrown. He had reason to be afraid.