‘The Iron General’: Zaluzhny’s PR manager wrote a book criticizing Zelensky and the President’s Office

In Ukraine, the first book with the biography of the former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has been published. It is titled “The Iron General. Lessons in Humanity” and is written by the former PR manager of the commander, Liudmyla Dolhonovska.

Excerpts from the biography are already being published online.

The events of the book cover the period up until March 2023, when the author moved to another job. Therefore, the unsuccessful counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the south and Zaluzhnyi’s subsequent dismissal are not included in the publication.

In addition to numerous moments aimed at creating a positive image of the “Iron General,” the book contains rather harsh criticism of Zelensky’s team and the Office of the President.

The book suggests that the confrontation between Zaluzhnyi and Bankova (the street where the President’s Office is located) began even before the full-scale invasion by Russia.

Dolhonovska writes that a certain “official from the President’s Office” demanded that Zaluzhnyi issue a “politicized, emotional and offensive” statement against then-Speaker of Parliament Razumkov, with whom Zelensky was in a fierce conflict at the time. However, Zaluzhnyi refused to do so.

The book also claims that even before the Russian invasion, Zaluzhnyi insisted on imposing martial law and general mobilization. But Bankova refused, arguing that this would provoke panic within the country. It is worth noting that many criticize Zelensky for this, recalling his numerous statements in early 2022 that there would be no invasion and that people could prepare for “barbecues in May.”

“Correct political decisions were not made before February 2022, and this is one of the reasons why the Russians were able to capture part of the territories,” the book states.

Shortly after the start of the full-scale war, when the Kyiv region was liberated, the President’s Office began actively interfering in combat planning, according to the book.

Dolhonovska also recounts an episode in which the President’s Office was preparing a TV project for Independence Day in 2022, in which Zaluzhnyi was to participate. The Commander-in-Chief was supposed to address Russian generals and convince them to end the war. The project’s author was the head of the National Council on TV, Olga Herasymiuk. However, in the end, Zaluzhnyi’s address was “scrapped” and replaced with a film by journalist Komarov, although Zaluzhnyi also participated in that.

The book also mentions that the military did not view the liberation of Kherson as a complete success, considering it a “partial success” (recall that at that time, the Russian army had fortified itself on the left bank of the Dnipro, managing to retreat from the right bank without losses).

The book also suggests that the Ukrainian Armed Forces command leaned towards withdrawing from Bakhmut much earlier, avoiding unnecessary casualties. Western media had previously reported on the differing views between Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky on holding Bakhmut.

The author writes that Zaluzhnyi refrained from giving interviews due to “jealousy of his popularity among the president’s entourage… To avoid further accusations of ‘excessive’ media presence and tension in relations with Volodymyr Zelensky, Zaluzhnyi preferred to write ‘no’ on every journalistic request for an interview.”