Zaluzhnyi criticized Zelensky for not imposing martial law on the eve of the full-scale invasion

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has made another public accusation against Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that if the president had introduced martial law on the eve of Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, it would have allowed Ukraine to prepare better for military action.

Zaluzhnyi said this in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian.

“Martial law should have been introduced in January or, at the latest, in February. You’re going to fight Mike Tyson, and the only fight you’ve ever had before that was a pillow fight with your little brother. It’s a one-in-a-million chance, and you have to be ready,” Zaluzhnyi said, using a vivid comparison.

He said he raised the issue of introducing martial law several times, but only Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov supported him, while Zelenskyy consistently refused, fearing it would spark panic. In the end, the National Security and Defense Council agreed only to introduce a state of emergency.

Zaluzhnyi said the failure to prepare properly for the invasion came at a high cost for Ukraine.

He said that some defensive measures were taken by generals themselves under the threat of criminal cases. In particular, at the last moment mines were laid on the seabed of the Black Sea to prevent a possible amphibious landing in Odesa, and some units were ordered to move to more strategically important positions.

Zelenskyy, Zaluzhnyi claimed, went to sleep as usual on the night of February 24 together with his family, convinced there would be no war. The next day, he said, the president’s wife hurriedly packed their belongings while listening to explosions in the distance.