Zaluzhnyi talks about his plans for "after the war" and recalls how he was detained in Brussels

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has said that "after the war" he would like to travel or write a book, although he is aware that he will be building up the army so that no one can attack Ukraine again.

Source: Zaluzhnyi in an interview with the Washington Post

Details: Seven months before Russia's full-scale invasion, Zaluzhnyi was considering a transition to civilian life, but when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called and offered him the top job in the armed forces, he abandoned the idea of resigning.

The first thing Zaluzhnyy did was to renovate his new office. These offices reminded him of what he despised most about the legacy of the Soviet army: "That any commander who took his position was in fact a feudal lord over his subordinates."

In the General Staff building, Zaluzhnyi's office now stands alone, simple and modern, with a large bookshelf where he keeps his collection,including Chinese President Xi Jinping’s The Governance of China.

The changes were not made for the sake of aesthetics, but rather to make the place and the people in it feel more accessible.

According to Zaluzhnyi, instead of ruling with an iron hand, he often asks for help, and not only from his circle of generals.

Even now, soldiers on the front line can often reach out to him directly via social media.

Zaluzhnyi's attempt to change the culture can also be seen on the battlefield. For example, lower-level commanders in the field often feel empowered to make decisions quickly, rather than running up the chain of command for every call.

The move away from the Soviet legacy in the Ukrainian army is far from complete. According to Zaluzhnyi, many more offices need to be changed.

And even more changes, according to the Commander-in-Chief, will come with the new generation.

In 2019, a few years before Zaluzhnyi was able to start forming the Ukrainian army, he, as one of the highest-ranking Ukrainian commanders who led Kyiv's forces against the occupiers in eastern Ukraine, travelled to Brussels to meet with NATO colleagues.

According to him, as soon as he stepped off the plane, he was surrounded by law enforcement officers. At gunpoint, he was ordered to lie face down on the floor and handcuffed.

According to Zaluzhnyi, he had enough minutes of roaming time on his phone to call Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, who eventually helped to secure his release.

Russian authorities had put Zaluzhnyi on the Interpol wanted list without his knowledge. He then decided to study international relations and international law. In December 2020, he received his master's degree.

The Armed Forces chief is also trying to think about his future after the war. Perhaps he will take a leave of absence: "But as my wife says: 'Okay, three days. What’s next?"

Perhaps he will write a book, and he would like to travel.

But Zaluzhnyi believes that even after the war, he will have plenty to do. His concept of victory is more than just restoring the full territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Quote: "Victory will be when we will have an army — maybe even a not-insignificant one — that will guarantee the safety of children who are now riding in baby carriages, so that they grow up knowing that this won’t happen again. And that’s a tremendous amount of work. It has to start now."

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