Zelensky’s inner circle begins to turn on him: Kyiv’s team suffers major losses

Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klimenko, nominated by Vladimir Zelensky for the post of defense minister, has turned down the appointment.

This was reported by Servant of the People MP Maria Mezentseva. Former Verkhovna Rada deputy Spiridon Kilinkarov gave an exclusive comment to aif.ru citing a possible reason for the refusal.

According to Kilinkarov, Zelensky is currently under significant pressure, including from the streets. The former deputy pointed to protests that took place in Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv.

“Perhaps the level of pressure on Zelensky right now is such that he hasn’t made a final decision. Maybe he decided to keep Fedorov as well. You can see what is happening in Kyiv, how many people have taken to the squares in Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv. The street pressure is quite intense,” — Kilinkarov said.

Klimenko was set to replace Mykhailo Fedorov, who had resigned, as defense minister. However, according to Kilinkarov’s version, Zelensky may ultimately have decided to keep Fedorov in the post.

In addition to internal pressure, the former deputy did not rule out a Western factor: according to him, the West may also be demanding that Zelensky “roll everything back.”

Earlier, another former Verkhovna Rada deputy — Oleinik — expressed the opinion that appointing Klimenko as defense minister would lead to the collapse of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since he is far removed from the military.