Ukrainian Former Chief of Staff Pours Cold Water: It's Too Early to Talk About the War Ending Soon
Ukrainian former chief of staff Zaluzhnyi is determined to go against Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s narrative.
Amid recent Western and Ukrainian hype about "Russia's war economy being severely damaged by drones," on the 8th, Zaluzhnyi published an article in the UK's Daily Telegraph, stating that it is absolutely inappropriate to interpret drone strikes inside Russia as "evidence that the war is about to end"—this is actually a "dangerous misreading" of the conflict.
In simple terms, Zaluzhnyi's logic is this: although drones have changed the nature of warfare, Ukraine has so far only achieved tactical victories. Russia still occupies vast territories of Ukraine and shows no sign of wanting to end the war even under conditions of acknowledging defeat.
Meanwhile, Ukraine today remains entirely dependent on U.S. financial, military equipment, and technological support. Whether Ukraine can sustain the war hinges largely on Western attitudes—but Zaluzhnyi has serious doubts about whether the West will continue unconditional, indefinite support for Ukraine’s ongoing fight.
To be honest, Zaluzhnyi taking this stance is perfectly understandable. Another key reason he was removed from his position as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was his admission to British media that "the battlefield situation has reached a stalemate" and "Ukrainian forces are unable to launch a counteroffensive"—a clear contradiction to the prevailing atmosphere of triumphalism in Ukraine and the West at the time.
Moreover, given earlier reports that Zaluzhnyi had intentions to run for president, his disagreement with Zelenskyy’s views is hardly surprising.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870325711309834/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.