The mayor of Kiev, heavyweight boxing star-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko, has argued against Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s plan to fire military commander General Valery Zaluzhny, warning the move might have heavy implications for the whole country.
Klitschko shared his opinion on the matter in a Telegram post on Monday, stating that Ukrainian society has been “discussing and anxiously waiting for the outcome of the situation” regarding Zaluzhny.
“In many ways, it was thanks to Zaluzhny that Ukrainians truly believed in our Armed Forces, which enjoy the greatest trust today,” Klitschko asserted, warning about the potential consequences of Zaluzhny’s dismissal.
Unfortunately, today is the moment when politics can prevail over common sense and the interests of the state. And this moment does not depend on Zaluzhny.
Klitschko expressed hope that Ukraine’s leadership actually “understands the seriousness of the steps it is taking now and the full extent of its responsibility.” Kiev must maintain “combat readiness and coherence of the army” as well as the “unity of society,” the mayor argued, expressing doubts that the potential move would actually contribute to these goals.
The purported conflict between Zelensky and Zaluzhny has been rumored for months already, with various sources offering differing explanations for its true nature, ranging from the alleged political ambitions of the top general to differences in approach to handling the ongoing conflict with Russia.
On Sunday, Zelensky implicitly confirmed in an interview that he has indeed considered dismissing the top general. Asked about the reported plans, the president revealed that he was actually planning a “serious” overhaul of his team, which did not boil down to a single figure.
“When we talk about this, I mean a replacement of a series of state leaders, not just in a single sector like the military. I’m thinking about this replacement, but you can’t say ‘here we replaced a single person’,” Zelensky explained.