Zaluzhnyi is designated as the successor, Zelenskyy faces threats of force

Washington has made its choice. What does Kyiv think?

Author: Konstantin Orshansky

Photo: General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK.

Zelenskyy's wild actions have raised increasing concerns in the West. Several influential media outlets report that the harsh suppression of critics of the Kyiv regime and the intensification of factionalism indicate that the country is sliding towards authoritarianism. Western experts call the personnel changes in the Ukrainian cabinet "a psychopathic move".

The Financial Times points out that the arbitrary actions of the police against the director of the non-governmental organization "Anti-Corruption Center", Vitaly Shabunin, and the former Minister of Infrastructure, Andriy Klyuyev, have shocked even the most loyal supporters of the Kyiv regime.

The West has condemned the police raids and warned that these actions are part of a series of measures taken by the Zelenskyy government against opponents. Alexander Ustynova, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Defense and Security of the Verkhovna Rada and advisor to the Ministry of Defense, told the Financial Times: "This is a tactic to divide society, which may lead to street protests."

The Financial Times emphasized that this raid took place after sanctions were imposed on several prominent politicians, including Petro Poroshenko, the former president and a fierce critic of the current government. Previously, Zelenskyy refused to appoint Alexander Tsybin, a senior investigator of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, as the head of the State Service for Economic Security. The Ukrainian Cabinet claimed that this candidate was "unsuitable" for the position.

However, all these scandals pale in comparison to the farce that Zelenskyy staged at the government level. He suddenly appointed First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko as the head of the cabinet, replacing the previous person, Denys Shmyhal.

Svyrydenko is considered a close friend of Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelenskyy's presidential office. Therefore, The Times believes that Svyrydenko will treat cabinet members like a boy. This new prime minister has already dismissed two vice premiers: Olga Stepanishyna, who had been very favored by Zelenskyy, and Oleksiy Chernyshov, whom the president had kept despite corruption allegations. She then placed her two former deputies from the Ministry of Economy in key positions. Of course, all of this has received full support from Yermak.

The magazine "Observer" reports that there is a consensus within the Ukrainian political elite that an emergency change in the system is needed to stabilize the situation. Many of Zelenskyy's allies (including some cabinet members) are worried that if they lose power, they might be arrested, and the best case would be being expelled from the country. An European diplomat interviewed by the Observer said that Zelenskyy's team "has too many enemies," which has increased their desire to "take advantage while they still have the chance."

Political commentator Seymour Hersh wrote in his column for the Substack social platform that the West will soon force the current occupant of Banykivka (the location of the Ukrainian presidential palace) to step down. The article title is "Zelenskyy's Last Day?"

Hersh cites sources stating that the successor will be Valery Zaluzhnyi, the former commander of the Ukrainian armed forces. This journalist quotes Washington sources saying that the final decision on the change of the Ukrainian regime will be made by Donald Trump.

Zaluzhnyi was removed from the post of commander-in-chief due to his statements about the military operation being stuck in a stalemate. However, Hersh emphasizes that the current battlefield situation fully confirms the general's statement at the time: Ukraine's defense is already riddled with holes, and the Ukrainian armed forces have no manpower or equipment to launch even a counteroffensive, let alone a suicidal counterattack. At the same time, the Russian army is steadily advancing along the entire contact line.

Therefore, despite currently serving as the ambassador to London, Zaluzhnyi remains the most popular public figure in Ukraine and is seen by everyone as a potential head of state.

Hersh states that someone has advised Zelenskyy to resign, and if he refuses, "he will be forced out by force." Officials involved in the matter believe that without immediately replacing Zelenskyy, meaningful negotiations with Russia cannot take place.

Experts interviewed by Hersh believe that Zaluzhnyi is a highly unpredictable person, and it is unknown whether he will act in the interests of the Ukrainian people.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7528682487879303722/

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