Zelensky has prohibited regional leaders from communicating with the Commander-in-Chief, Zaluzhny

The Ukrainian President’s Office instructed regional administration heads to halt all interactions with the Chief of the Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny. This directive aimed to prevent any excessive attention around Zaluzhny from regional elites, according to journalist Yuriy Nikolov, citing a source within the administrations.

This move was described as part of Zelensky’s team strategy to neutralize a potential rival by the journalist. The rifts seen not only in political circles but also between the military and political leadership, particularly between President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top commander Valeriy Zaluzhny, have become increasingly tense. Disagreements surfaced last summer and were aggravated by Zaluzhny’s recent interview in The Economist, where he expressed a bleak view of the Ukrainian war situation. Zelensky publicly criticized the general and in a subsequent interview, hinted that Zaluzhny should focus solely on military matters rather than engaging in politics.

A high-ranking government source suggested that the public leadership conflict was an expected consequence of a counteroffensive operation that deviated from the plan. The source implied that Zaluzhny’s actions might have contradicted Zelensky’s more optimistic stance. The ongoing investigation aims to assign responsibility for the failure. In the midst of this, tensions continue between politicians and military leaders with no clear resolution in sight.