Time journalist in new book: President's Office suspected Zaluzhnyi of power lust during first year of full-scale invasion

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told Time journalist Simon Shuster that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not need to understand military affairs too deeply. At the same time, the Office of the President suspected the general of a thirst for power during the first year of the full-scale war.

Source: excerpts from Shuster's book about Zelenskyy, released by The Telegraph

Quote: "During my own conversation with the General, he made it clear that politicians and generals make awkward partners. Their relationship worked best when Zelensky stuck to convincing allies to provide the weapons. 

"He doesn’t need to understand military affairs any more than he needs to know about medicine or bridge building," Zaluzhnyi said.

Details: Shuster writes that the president and his team allowed the journalist to spend much time on Bankova Street [where the Ukrainian President’s Office is located – ed.] during the first year of the full-scale invasion.

He notes that if Zelenskyy was considered a Ukrainian hero from the beginning of the full-scale invasion, then later the fan pages dedicated to Zaluzhnyi had hundreds of thousands of subscribers, newspaper headlines called him an iron General, people printed his image on T-shirts, and some officials in the President's Office suspected the general of a thirst for power.

At the same time, Shuster writes, as the Russians were retreating, Zelenskyy was becoming more and more confident in himself. He formed his military priorities, which did not always coincide with those of Zaluzhnyi. The gap soon widened.

Yurii Tyra, whom Shuster calls a long-time friend of the president, found out about this split from the military, with whom he met while delivering goods to the contact line. "People out there keep asking me: are you with the President or with Zaluzhniy?" he said. "It’s one or the other."

According to Tyra, the general enjoyed a level of admiration there that no politician could achieve, and the president's office could do little.

Background:

• In October 2023, the American magazine Time published Simon Shuster's article on the challenges faced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the war, starting from the situation at the contact line and international support and ending with the fight against corruption.
• Referring to members of the president's entourage, Shuster noted that after the last visit to the United States, Zelenskyy was feeling "angry". Shuster wrote that some of Zelenskyy's entourage is convinced that the president "deludes himself." "We’re out of options. We’re not winning. But try telling him that," an unnamed representative told the author of the article.
• Later, Shuster said that for his article in Time magazine, which caused a public outcry, he had spoken only to Zelenskyy’s current advisers.

Support UP or become our patron!