Former adviser to the head of the Presidential Office, Arestovych, claimed that appointing Zaluzhny as Commander-in-chief was his ‘project’

Former advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Oleksiy Arestovych, stated that the appointment of Valerii Zaluzhnyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) was his “project.”

He claimed to have personally lobbied for Zaluzhnyi’s candidacy during private discussions with President Volodymyr Zelensky and the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak.

“I stayed in the office alone with him [Zelensky] and Yermak, resolving several specific military issues. For instance, appointing Zaluzhnyi as Commander-in-Chief. I was the one who did that. It was my project to make Zaluzhnyi the Commander-in-Chief,” Arestovych said on a podcast with Patrick Bet-David.

It should be noted that Zaluzhnyi was appointed Commander-in-Chief in 2021, during Arestovych’s tenure as an advisor to the Office of the President.

Earlier, Arestovych stated that a ceasefire in Ukraine could occur as soon as January 25. According to him, this ultimatum was presented to both Ukraine and Russia by newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump.