Oleksiy Danilov, the former secretary of the Security Council of Ukraine, said that “the Russian monster will be destroyed” in the first message since he was replaced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on Tuesday.

Oleksiy Danilov (second from the left) with military commanders and heads of special services from KyivPhoto: Kyrylo Chubotin-Ukrinform / Sipa Press / Profimedia Images

“4 years, 5 months and 24 days as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. Work to which I was devoted to the end. Days I’m not ashamed of. The hours flew by like lightning. I am grateful to fate for giving me the opportunity to serve my country and people in times of peace and war,” Danilov said in a message published on his page from “X”, formerly Twitter.

Despite the fact that Zelensky unexpectedly replaced him from his position on Tuesday, Danilov said that “I am grateful to the President of Ukraine for the trust and the opportunity to join the writing of the Great History at this moment of the greatest challenge and the greatest elevation.”

He also expressed his gratitude to all the “real professionals” with whom he worked in this position, noting that both he and they will continue to contribute to the victory of Ukraine.

“The main thing that we should always remember and what I always talked about is to never fear anyone, go forward and believe in Ukraine, believe in the people of Ukraine,” he emphasized.

Danilov speaks in his farewell message about the disintegration of Russia

“The Russian monster will be destroyed, a whimsical creature will fall and disappear into the abyss of history – and this will be done by a Ukrainian warrior, whose history, our destiny and our mission is to be a sword in the dark; watchman on the wall; the shield that protects the kingdom of men! Thank you all! Glory to Ukraine!” Danilov concluded his address.

Danilov, known for his belligerent statements, also spoke about Russia’s demise in an interview with the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph on March 15. Oleksiy Danilov answered the question about the prospects of deploying Western troops in Ukraine:

“We don’t need your soldiers, we need help with weapons. If such help is provided, then we are ready to end the problem of Russia once and for all.”

The dismissal of Danilov from the post of Secretary of the Security Council in Kyiv was announced on Tuesday in a decree published on the website of President Zelenskyi’s Administration. Also, by decree, the President of Ukraine appointed the former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Litvinenko to the position of Danilov.

Unlike the dismissal of General Valery Zaluzhny, the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, after months of speculation and rumors, Danilov’s dismissal came as a complete surprise.

The president’s administration in Kyiv has not yet commented on the news, and Zelenskyi will probably talk about it in his televised speech later in the day.

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