Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, said that there is no reason to consider the dismissal of Valery Zaluzhnyi from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, reports Ukrainian Pravda.

Volodymyr Zelenskyi with Valery Zaluzhny and Mila OlestiukPhoto: Pool / Presidency of Ukraine / Zuma Press / Profimedia
  • “I think there are differences [între Zelenski și Zalujnîi – n.red.] it is impossible. The war is the priority and there is a transparent chain of command where the president is the commander in chief and there is a commander in chief, the chief of operations, who is responsible for the war itself, excuse my terminology. There is a general director, the president of the country, who deals with a number of other issues related to the provision of everything necessary in wartime. If there is any conflict, especially on a political basis, it seems to me nonsense,” said Podolyak

Podolyak also noted that Ukraine’s partners may be surprised by statements about a conflict within the Ukrainian military leadership.

In this way, the presidential adviser is trying to put an end to speculations in the Western and Ukrainian media about the alleged differences between Zelensky and Zaluzhny, which received a great resonance in society after Zaluzhny’s publication about the state of the war in The Economist.

  • The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces hints that the summer offensive failed: “It was my mistake”

On Monday, the Ukrainian press wrote that President Zelenskyi will “bypass” commander Valery Zaluzhnyi in communication with some military commanders. Thus, the president maintains parallel lines of communication with the heads of some branches of the military, and Zaluzhny would learn certain information from his subordinates.

The commander of the Ukrainian army presented an unpleasant situation regarding the offensive

In an editorial published by The Economist and in an interview with the publication, Zaluzhny stated that the situation at the front had reached an impasse, the general also made it clear, without stating it directly, that the offensive that Ukraine launched in June to liberate the south of the country was not succeeded

A few days later, Zelensky dismissed the idea of ​​a stalemate in the war, while his diplomatic adviser called Zaluzhny’s comments “very strange” and suggested they might be playing Russia’s games.