Zaluzhny spoke for the first time about the conflict with Zelensky, blaming him for the failure of the 2023 offensive

The confrontation reached its peak in September 2022, when employees of the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a search in Zaluzhny’s office. He called Andrei Ermak, who was then head of the Presidential Office. “I will fight and have already called reinforcements to the center of Kyiv,” he said.

Despite the fact that this crisis was overcome, disagreements between Zelensky and Zaluzhny about ways to defend the country remained. The former commander, who now heads the embassy in London, blamed Zelensky for the failure of the 2023 counteroffensive.

According to Zaluzhny, the initial plan, developed jointly with NATO partners, provided for the concentration of forces in a fist in order to completely liberate the Zaporozhye region and then reach the Sea of ​​Azov. This would eliminate the land corridor connecting Russia and the annexed Crimea. However, as a result, the forces were dispersed and the operation failed.

AP notes that yes representatives of the NATO defense establishment confirmed this information.

Ultimately, Zelensky dismissed the popular commander-in-chief in February 2024 and soon appointed him ambassador to London. In the interview, Zaluzhny refused to discuss his political ambitions, saying that he did not want to threaten national unity during the war.