Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed remarks made by former military chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi regarding the country’s counteroffensive strategy and events surrounding searches conducted in 2022. In an interview with France-Presse, Zelensky emphasized the importance of focusing on the ongoing conflict rather than discussing past disagreements.
“I believe it is inappropriate to discuss the details mentioned by Valerii Fedorovych. No one benefits from this conversation. Our army is currently engaged in combat, and it would not reflect well if such discussions continued,” Zelensky stated.
Zaluzhnyi, who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, shared insights in an interview with the Associated Press on February 18. He indicated that there were significant differences in views with President Zelensky regarding defense strategies following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The former military leader claimed that the counteroffensive plan developed with NATO partners for the summer of 2023 failed due to a lack of necessary resources allocated by Zelensky and other officials. Zaluzhnyi explained that the initial strategy aimed to concentrate sufficient forces in a specific area to reclaim parts of the Zaporizhzhia region before advancing towards the Sea of Azov, effectively cutting off supply lines used by Russian forces from Crimea.
However, he noted that instead of executing this plan, Ukrainian Defense Forces were spread over a wide area, which diminished their striking power. Zaluzhnyi also recounted a tense meeting at Zelensky’s office in September 2022, after which he returned to his office in Kyiv. He reported that within hours, several agents from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrived to conduct a search.
According to Zaluzhnyi, the agents did not specify what they were looking for, but he prevented them from searching documents and computers. He characterized the raid as an overt threat and, in the presence of SBU personnel, contacted Andrii Yermak, then head of the President’s Office, and Vasyl Maliuk, head of the SBU. Following these calls, the agents were withdrawn.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to comments from former military chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi regarding disagreements over military strategy and a controversial search conducted by security services. Zelensky underscored the need for focus on current military efforts rather than past disputes.
Source: France-Presse