February 18, 2026
Ukraine’s Ousted Army Chief Blames Zelensky for Failed 2023 Counteroffensive and Details 2022 Office Raid
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom and former commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, gave the Associated Press a wide-ranging interview in which he described his deepening rift with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
TL;DR
- Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and current ambassador to the UK, gave an interview to the Associated Press detailing his disagreements with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- Tensions between Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky reportedly started early in the full-scale Russian invasion and peaked in September 2022 with a search of Zaluzhnyi's office by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
- Zaluzhnyi believes the 2023 counteroffensive failed because Zelensky and other officials did not allocate sufficient resources, deviating from the original strategy.
- The SBU provided a different account of the 2022 incident, stating it was part of an organized crime investigation and that the address was used as a command post, with no search actions conducted.
- Since his dismissal in February 2024, Zaluzhnyi has had "absolutely friendly" conversations with Zelensky but is not involved in military decisions.
- Zaluzhnyi has received offers from political consultants, including an approach from an individual identified as Paul Manafort, but has not pursued political ambitions while martial law is in effect.
- Polls suggest Zaluzhnyi could be a formidable rival to Zelensky in a future presidential race.
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